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Forensics is not my field, but genetics is. Restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis seems to be the technique that is still being used for forensic
by carbocation 14y ago
Forensics is not my field, but genetics is. Restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis seems to be the technique that is still being used for forensic DNA matching.
To my mind, it would make a lot more sense to simply genotype a few hundred well-chosen (highly variable) SNPs on a standardized array. Since there are premade arrays that give you tens to hundreds of thousands of SNPs for a few hundred dollars, you should easily be able to unambiguously identify a single individual even if (non-monozygotic twin) family members are in the haystack.
Obviously this says nothing about guilt, but from the DNA matching perspective we can and should do better.
- datr 14y agoI imagine it depends on the lab. A friend worked as an assistant at a place that did forensic dna matching five years ago and she definitely used your suggested method.
- biologist 14y agoNo, they do PCR amplification of highly variable STR sites and then measure the PCR products by capillary electrophoresis. The false positive match probability is low, unless partial matches are allowed.