Forensic DNA Typing: Principles, Applications and Advancements

The book explores the fundamental principles, advances in forensic techniques, and its application on forensic DNA analysis. The book is divided into three modules; the first module provides the historical prospect of forensic DNA typing and introduces fundamentals of forensic DNA typing, methodology, and technical advancements, application of STRs, and DNA databases for forensic DNA profile analysis.

Module 2 examines the problems and challenges encountered in extracting DNA and generating DNA profiles. It provides information on the methods and the best practices for DNA isolation from forensic biological samples and human remains like ancient DNA, DNA typing of skeletal remains and disaster victim identification, the importance of DNA typing in human trafficking, and various problems associated with capillary electrophoresis.

Module 3 emphasizes various technologies that are based on SNPs, STRs namely Y-STR, X-STR, mitochondrial DNA profiling in forensic science. Module 4 explores the application of non-human forensic DNA typing of domestic animals, wildlife forensics, plant DNA fingerprinting, and microbial forensics.

The last module discusses new areas and alternative methods in forensic DNA typing, including Next-Generation Sequencing, and its utility in forensic science, oral microbes, and forensic DNA phenotyping.

Given its scope, the book is a useful resource in the field of DNA fingerprinting for scientists, forensic experts, and students at the postgraduate level.

Pankaj Shrivastava received his Ph.D. in Microbiology with a specialization in Biotechnology from the Department of Biological Science, Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. He is working as In charge of the Forensic DNA Fingerprinting facility of Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, India at Sagar. He has more than 13 years of experience as the bench worker for examining and reporting a wide range of criminal cases using DNA technology and deposing the court evidence. His research interests include population DNA database, improvement of methods in forensic DNA typing, finding rapid protocols for the technology, and microbial forensics. He is the recipient of the prestigious Pt. Govind Vallabh Pant Award from the Bureau of Police Research and Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India twice, and Anusrajan Award from AIISECT University, Bhopal for his authored books. He is also a recipient of the FICCI smart Policing award for developing a fast DNA typing protocol. He is visiting faculty of many universities, Police training Institutes, and Judicial officers training Institutes. He has written 13 books and published 65 research papers in the journals of repute in forensic science, 21 book chapters, 84 conference proceedings, 15 popular science articles.

Hirak Ranjan Dash completed his Ph.D. from the Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India, and is currently working as a DNA fingerprinting expert at the Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. He received his M.Sc. in Microbiology from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Odisha, India. His research interests include forensic microbiology, thanatomicrobiome analysis, molecular microbiology, DNA fingerprinting and genetic manipulation. He has written 4 books and published 29 research papers, 14 book chapters, 12 conference proceedings, and 4 popular science articles.

José A. Lorente is a Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University Of Granada, Spain. After graduating at the Faculty of Medicine of Granada in 1985, he received Ph.D. Honors in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Granada, in 1989. Dr. Lorente has published over 140 peer-reviewed papers and several books and book chapters. He has a special focus on the use of DNA and its application to human rights (he launched the first-ever database to identify missing people, the Spanish Phoenix Program, back in 1999); he also created and launched the DNA-PROKIDS Program in 2004. His areas of interest in forensics also deal with population variability and analysis of old and ancient DNA samples and databases expansion and control. Dr. Lorente is also actively working in medical genomics and he’s the scientific director of the Center for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), where his team focuses on liquid biopsy and cancer interception. Dr. Lorente is the founder and first president of the AICEF (Ibero-Latin American Network of Forensic Sciences), and an honorary member of the AFSN (Asian Forensic Sciences Network).

Jahangir Imam completed his Ph.D. from the Department of Microbiology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India, in Collaboration with the National Rice Research Institute (ICAR), Cuttack, India, and is currently working as Forensic DNA expert at the Forensic Science Laboratory, Jharkhand, India. He received his M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, India. His research interests include forensic biology, molecular marker, DNA fingerprinting and genetic manipulation. He has written 16 research papers, 11 book chapters, 8 conference proceedings, and 2 popular science articles.