![]() ![]() Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies, frequently referred to as next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, have revolutionised the biological sciences by their ability to generate millions of sequencing reads in a single run. Number of publications returned in a search of for ‘forensic AND DNA’ in the title, abstract or keywords, for the years 1990 to 2020. An exhaustive review of this whole field is beyond the scope of a single article, and so this review seeks to provide an overview of some of the most important recent advances in the forensic analysis of DNA. The last few years have seen a rapid expansion in the field of forensic genetics (and now forensic genomics), demonstrated by growing numbers of publications in the field over the last two decades ( Figure 1). The introduction of novel techniques and technologies into the criminal justice system is slow, but new methodologies are being developed that enable the analysis of these challenging samples, and that can generate intelligence about the donor of a biological sample. However, when no profile match is found, when the amount of DNA in a sample is too low, or the DNA too degraded to be analysed, traditional STR profiling may be of limited value. A key challenge will be for researchers to consider carefully how these innovations can be implemented into forensic practice to ensure their potential benefits are maximised. This article reviews some of the most important recent advances in the field, including the application of massively parallel sequencing to the analysis of STRs and other marker types, advancements in DNA mixture interpretation, particularly the use of probabilistic genotyping methods, the profiling of different RNA types for the identification of body fluids, the interrogation of SNP markers for predicting forensically relevant phenotypes, epigenetics and the analysis of DNA methylation to determine tissue type and estimate age, and the emerging field of forensic genetic genealogy. The rapidly expanding field of forensic genetics has introduced various novel methodologies that enable the analysis of challenging forensic samples, and that can generate intelligence about the donor of a biological sample. The analysis of DNA from biological evidence recovered in the course of criminal investigations can provide very powerful evidence when a recovered profile matches one found on a DNA database or generated from a suspect. Access content during the Covid-19 pandemic. ![]()
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