State-of-the-Art in Forensic Genetics

Dear Colleagues,

Since its first use 35 years ago, forensic genetics has undergone many advancements in knowledge and technologies, which resulted in faster results, higher sensitivity and information content and stronger conclusions, mostly with challenging specimens.

Great improvements in DNA extraction methods were observed, especially due to the introduction of robotic workstations. Automation also involved all laboratory steps with the development of rapid and portable fully automated DNA profiling systems, which allowed results in less than 90 min and also directly on the crime scene.

Higher information content in forensic DNA analysis was obtained from expanded sets of core STR loci and deeper information from sequence analysis of alleles. Several SNP panels for different purposes as well as novel types of molecular markers, such as the microhaplotype loci that are useful for individual identification, ancestry inference, estimating relationships and deconvoluting mixtures, were developed. Supplemental genetic markers that are not only related to personal identification and parental testing but also to other important issues such as body fluids identification, post mortem interval (PMI) estimation and forensic DNA phenotyping for investigative purposes (appearance, age and biogeographic prediction) were introduced in forensic practice.

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were largely used in addition to nuclear STR loci, expecially in challenging forensic samples. Among the new technologies introduced in recent years, massive parallel sequencing (MPS) left great impact in the forensic field both in terms of data quantity and type of markers and allele discrimination.

In addition, non-human DNA has demonstrated its utility in the forensic field. Microbioma analysis may aid investigations, permitting the discrimination of environmental samples, postmortem interval estimation (PMI), geolocation, non-sterile body fluids and tissues characterization and also human identification.

Strong improvements in the last years were made with respect to improving the ability to decipher and interpret all data obtained from DNA analysis, and it not only remains the greatest challenge but also provides the largest opportunities for future advances in forensic DNA analysis. Probabilistic approaches are constantly under development, not only for the statistical evaluation of a genetic profile match and a complex DNA mixture but also for familial searching, and it is useful for finding close relatives and for the prediction of age, external visible traits and PMI estimation.

The aim of this Special Issue is to illustrate the principal advancements in the forensic genetic field, both in terms of research effort and of casework and current practice by covering all laboratory steps related to obtaining DNA profiles and data interpretation.

Dr. Chiara Turchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.