U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Exploration of RNA degradation in dried body fluid stains as a means of estimating the age of the samples
Award Information
Awardee
              OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Award #
              2018-DU-BX-0206
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    TULSA, OK
Congressional District
              1
Status
              Past Project Period End Date
Funding First Awarded
              2018
Total funding (to date)
              $487,647
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY18 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2018, $487,647)
The investigation of a crime generally involves answering the question of who, what, where, and when. Of these questions, forensic genetic technologies are presently unable to answer the question of when within the context of the age of a biological crime scene sample. In previous studies from this laboratory, the transcriptomes of body fluid stains aged for periods of up to a year were analyzed to explore a possible correlation between age and degree of RNA degradation. Transcripts were identified that exhibit degradation kinetics that suggest a correlation with sample age. RNA sequencing results also suggested that the 5' end of a transcript degrades faster than the 3' end. This observation spawned the development of a modified qPCR assay that quantifies the 5' and 3' ends of a panel of transcripts enabling a standard curve of delta Ct (5' Ct minus 3' Ct) versus sample age to be created. This assay has demonstrated accuracy and reliability in estimating the age of dried bloodstains and holds potential to be easily transferred to the forensic DNA laboratory for this purpose. To date, body fluid stains have been stored under rather ideal conditions in the laboratory. The project proposed here is to investigate the effects of the environment on RNA degradation. Temperature, humidity, sunlight exposure, and the substrate a stain is deposited on will be systematically evaluated for their effects on the degradation kinetics of RNA transcripts compared with kinetics for stains stored in the lab. If environmental effects are observed, it is proposed that the effect of those conditions will be reflected in changes to the rate constants for degradation of the different markers, and that those changes can be incorporated into an algorithm that estimates age. One anticipated outcome of the project will be the development of a reliable technology with which to age biological evidence; perhaps with the development of a qPCR kit for that purpose. The proposed project will also explore more deeply the RNA degradation process in tissues in hopes of exploring the application of the technology with the determination of the postmortem interval and the age of skeletal remains.
This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law, and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR  200.210(a)(14).
CA/NCF



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      The effect of environmental conditions on the rate of RNA degradation in dried blood stains
                  A method to estimate the age of bloodstains using quantitative PCR
                  Time-dependent loss of mRNA transcripts from forensic stains

  
Date Created: September 27, 2018
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      The Low-Down on Methamphetamine Isomers: Prevalence and Pharmacology in Humans
                  Developing a Portable and Fast Opioid Assessment Tool for Improved Field Decision-Making
                  Evaluation of Target Enrichment for SNP Genotyping of Skeletal Remains
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov