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Rapid DNA from a disaster victim identification perspective: Is it a game changer?
Z Bowman1, R Daniel2, D Gerostamoulos1
1Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Victoria, Australia; Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Forensic Science International. Genetics
|March 24, 2022
Summary
Rapid DNA technology offers a new way to identify deceased individuals, especially in mass casualty events. This review explores its use in disaster victim identification, highlighting current research and future potential.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Rapid DNA technology provides quick DNA profiling, primarily for law enforcement at arrest.
- Current research evaluates Rapid DNA for crime scene samples, with and without analyst review.
- The application of Rapid DNA to post-mortem samples for identifying deceased persons is an emerging area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current research landscape for forensic applications of Rapid DNA technology.
- To focus specifically on the use of Rapid DNA for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI).
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing studies on Rapid DNA technology in forensic contexts.
- Analysis of case examples, such as the 2018 Californian wildfire, demonstrating Rapid DNA deployment in DVI.
Main Results:
- Rapid DNA instruments have been successfully used for disaster victim identification.
- Challenges remain regarding the performance of Rapid DNA with compromised post-mortem DNA samples (low yield, poor quality).
Conclusions:
- Rapid DNA technology shows promise for Disaster Victim Identification.
- Further research is needed to understand and optimize Rapid DNA performance with challenging post-mortem samples.
