Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Aug 5;370(1674):20140252.
doi: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0252.

The future of forensic DNA analysis

John M Butler  1
Affiliations
Review

The future of forensic DNA analysis

John M Butler. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. .

Abstract

The author's thoughts and opinions on where the field of forensic DNA testing is headed for the next decade are provided in the context of where the field has come over the past 30 years. Similar to the Olympic motto of 'faster, higher, stronger', forensic DNA protocols can be expected to become more rapid and sensitive and provide stronger investigative potential. New short tandem repeat (STR) loci have expanded the core set of genetic markers used for human identification in Europe and the USA. Rapid DNA testing is on the verge of enabling new applications. Next-generation sequencing has the potential to provide greater depth of coverage for information on STR alleles. Familial DNA searching has expanded capabilities of DNA databases in parts of the world where it is allowed. Challenges and opportunities that will impact the future of forensic DNA are explored including the need for education and training to improve interpretation of complex DNA profiles.

Keywords: DNA; DNA databases; forensic science; short tandem repeat.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Gill P, Jeffreys AJ, Werrett DJ. 1985. Forensic application of DNA ‘fingerprints’. Nature 318, 577–579. (10.1038/318577a0) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Clayton TM, Whitaker JP, Maguire CN. 1995. Identification of bodies from the scene of a mass disaster using DNA amplification of short tandem repeat (STR) loci. Forensic Sci. Int. 76, 7–15. (10.1016/0379-0738(95)01787-9) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Butler JM. 2012. Advanced topics in forensic DNA typing: methodology. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press.
    1. Butler JM. 2015. Advanced topics in forensic DNA typing: interpretation. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press.
    1. Weber-Lehmann J, Schilling E, Gradl G, Richter DC, Wiehler J, Rolf B. 2014. Finding the needle in the haystack: differentiating ‘identical’ twins in paternity testing and forensics by ultra-deep next generation sequencing. Forensic Sci. Int. Genet. 9, 42–46. (10.1016/j.fsigen.2013.10.015) - DOI - PubMed

Publication types