DNA fingerprinting of freeze-dried tissues

DNA profiling is usually unproblematic when carried out on material sampled shortly after death. Prolonged postmortem intervals and improper storage cause significant DNA degradation, however there are instances where DNA analysis becomes necessary months after the autopsy. In such cases the investigator may be able to revert to material initially stored for toxicological purposes. In some cases such specimens undergo freeze-drying before storage. We have therefore tested DNA fingerprinting of freeze-dried postmortem material. It was found that freeze-drying is a suitable method for preserving tissue samples for DNA profiling.