Forensic genetic research is a highly specialised
field of science. It focuses on extracting DNA
from biological crime scene samples to help
criminal justice professionals with the
identification of victims and suspects.
Current routine forensic genetic research methods are relatively slow and inefficient with respect to the total amount of information one could potentially extract from the samples. To substantially improve routine forensic genetic research, the Forensic Genomics Consortium Netherlands (FGCN) was founded in 2008.
FGCN represents the strategic alliance of three Dutch forensic genetic research laboratories: the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), theForensic Laboratory for DNA Research of Leiden
University Medical Center (FLDO-LUMC) and the Department for Forensic Molecular Biology of the Erasmus Medical Center (FMB-EMC).
This strategic alliance plans to achieve major improvements
in six genetic deliverables:
- The improvement of mixed-stains DNA analyses
- The relative age of the sample
- The cellular origin of the biological sample
- The geographical origin of the cell donor
- The externally visible characteristics of the cell donor
- The construction of detailed DNA reference databases
The plans of the consortium primarily involve developing techniques for dedicated crime cases. But eventually these methods could also be used for more routine high-volume crime cases. This will have a substantial positive impact on the criminal justice system by enabling the recovery of more crucial evidential value from crime scene traces. At the same time it will become possible to extract new types of information from these traces. This will enhance the value of forensic genetic analysis for investigative and intelligence purposes.
Additional information
Forensic Genomics Consortium Netherlands factsheet
Website
www.forensicgenomics.nl