The nucleic acid revolution continues – will forensic biology become forensic molecular biology?

Abstract

Molecular biology has evolved far beyond that which could have been predicted at the time DNA identity testing was established. Indeed we should now perhaps be referring to “forensic molecular biology.” Aside from DNA’s established role in identifying the “who” in crime investigations, other developments in medical and developmental molecular biology are now ripe for application to forensic challenges. The impact of DNA methylation and other post-fertilization DNA modifications, plus the emerging role of small RNAs in the control of gene expression, is re-writing our understanding of human biology. It is apparent that these emerging technologies will expand forensic molecular biology to allow for inferences about “when” a crime took place and “what” took place. However, just as the introduction of DNA identity testing engendered many challenges, so the expansion of molecular biology into these domains will raise again the issues of scientific validity, interpretation, probative value, and infringement of personal liberties. This Commentary ponders some of these emerging issues, and presents some ideas on how they will affect the conduct of forensic molecular biology in the foreseeable future.

Histological and miRNAs postmortem changes in incisional wound

“…Different histological and molecular changes occur in the incisional wound (Paladini et al 1996). Forensic scientists could use these changes to evaluate the effect of the time passed since death in the incisional wounds (Gunn et al 2014;Lv et al 2014).…”

DNA, statistics and the law: a cross-disciplinary approach to forensic inference

“…As pointed out by Gunn et al (2014) and Leake (2013), the forensic interest in DNA goes well beyond the standard approaches to DNA profiling that represent the current stateof-the-art in many contemporary legal systems, and this raises questions as to how new forms of data ought to be dealt with in an operational perspective (Milot et al, 2013). Although these frontiers topics clarify the extent to which there is room for exciting future research in this area, it should not distract us from the fact that even in the current state of forensic practice, there are hurdles and pressing topics that ask for efficient answers.…”

O papel de marcadores moleculares na genética forense

“…Padrões de metilação específicos também estão associados com características fenotípicas, e são passíveis de serem detectados por novas tecnologias de sequenciamento de DNA, não muito diferentes das propostas inicialmente. Em um contexto forense, estes avanços na biologia molecular já demonstraram um grande potencial na identificação de tipos de tecido, bem como na detecção de várias características comportamentais [44].…”