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                            Library & Multimedia
 A method to estimate the age of bloodstains using quantitative PCR
NCJ Number
              300552
Journal

*Forensic Science International Genetics* Volume: 39 Dated: 2019 Pages: 103-108
Author(s)
          Jun Fu;
                        Robert W. Allen
Date Published

2019
Length
              6 pages
Annotation
              This article describes a qPCR assay that demonstrates it is possible to estimate the age of bloodstains with reasonable accuracy.
Abstract
              The value of RNA analysis in the forensic laboratory as one means of identifying the nature of biological evidence of forensic relevance has been well established. The degradation of RNA in dried body fluid stains has also been an area of forensic interest because of the potential to estimate the age of a stain recovered from a crime scene. The 5′–3′ qPCR assay advocated in the current article exploits the observation that the 5′ end of an mRNA transcript degrades in dried stains faster than the 3′ end. This differential degradation pattern can be followed with a qPCR assay that quantifies ∼90 bp amplicons produced from the 5′ and 3′ ends of 4 transcripts chosen from the transcriptome of blood because of their degradation kinetics, determined initially using RNA sequencing. Statistical analysis of degradation kinetics suggests, depending upon the age of the sample, the age of blood stains can be accurately estimated to within 2–4 weeks for stains less than 6 months of age and 4–6 weeks for stains 6 months to 1 year old. (publisher abstract modified)
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2018-DU-BX-0206
                                2014-DN-BX-K025


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Award
        Transcriptome Sequencing of Forensically Relevant Biological Fluids and Tissues to Obtimize Degradation Analysis for Sample Age Estimation
                                Exploration of RNA degradation in dried body fluid stains as a means of estimating the age of the samples
    
  
  
Date Published: January 1, 2019
    
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        RNA (Ribonucleic acid)



  
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