Mass-Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Reveals Organ-Specific Expression Patterns To Be Used as Forensic Evidence

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Proteomics
• Ballistics

Background:

• Standard ballistic analysis struggles to identify the specific projectile causing lethal injury.
• Determining the trajectory and tissue interaction of projectiles is crucial for legal proceedings in homicide cases.

Observation:

• A novel forensic proteomic method was developed to analyze biological material on projectile surfaces.
• Experimental data using bovine organs demonstrated the method's ability to identify traversed tissues.

Findings:

• The proteomic approach achieved over 99% accuracy in cross-validated organ classification.
• External variables had minimal impact on the accuracy of the proteomic analysis.

Implications:

• This method significantly enhances forensic reconstruction by identifying projectile-tissue interactions.
• The technique offers a substantial improvement for solving homicide cases and supporting legal investigations.