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
 DNA Contamination, Degradation, Damage and Associated Microbiomes: A Comparative Analysis through Massive Parallel Sequencing and Capillary Electrophoresis
Award Information
Awardee
              UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
Award #
              2018-DU-BX-0205
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    NORMAN, OK
Congressional District
              4
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2018
Total funding (to date)
              $477,609
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY18 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2018, $477,609)
Forensic Science has entered into an exciting new technological era, where Massive Parallel Sequencing (MPS)/Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has the potential to retrieve increasingly more nuanced and detailed genetic profile data from co-mingled sources, poor quality samples, as well as associated microbiomes. However, adopting an MPS/NGS approach, especially to the study of low copy number (LCN), aged, degraded, and/or damaged DNA samples, does not negate the fundamental complications associated with their study, namely effective recovery and downstream authentication of results. The latter is of the utmost importance in the forensic community, as advancements in more sensitive DNA technology has led to a proportionate increase in the detection of non-target contamination. This proposal will utilize MPS/NGS "shotgun" sequencing technology to evaluate the degradation of DNA contamination, in the form of touch DNA placed on human and animal bone tissue, across the course of one year at ambient temperatures. The effect of additional decontamination treatments, such as sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and ultraviolet (UV) will also be analyzed. This will allow a determination of whether time and/or decontamination procedures can mimic the expected characteristics of low copy number (LCN), aged, damaged, and degraded DNA samples often encountered in forensic settings. Utilizing the same techniques, the endogenous DNA content of the bone samples will be evaluated, allowing a comparison of damage and degradation patterns between two different biological matrices common to crime scenes as well as forensic laboratories and storage facilities. The impact of damaged nucleotide bases, as well as decreased DNA strand length and copy number, on error rates and successful amplification of genomic profiles will also be examined across MPS and capillary electrophoresis platforms. This includes whole genome enrichment (WGE), lllumina's FGX Forenseq, and Life Technologies AmpFLSTR® ldentifiler kit. Using the data generated above, we will then assess our ability to deconvolute multiple DNA profiles represented by our damaged and LCN sample set. Finally, as the MPS "shotgun" reads simultaneously include microbial sequence data, this proposal can additionally address the stability, degradation, and alterations of skin (microbial touch DNA) and bone microbiomes due to time and decontamination treatments, further determining the forensic utility of such evidence.
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

  
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
        
                      Quantifying the strength of support in fingerprint casework comparisons
                  Impact of Relic DNA on Forensic Microbiome Applications in Criminal Investigations
                  Pivoting Headspace Ethanol Analysis to Accommodate Modern Day Scenarios
 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