Forensic Science

*Forensic Analysis - Scientific and Medical Techniques and Evidence under the Microscope*

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**55**

**1. Introduction**

**Chapter 4**

**Abstract**

Reliability and Reproducibility

Samples in Forensic Genetics

*Elena V. Ioganson, Marat I. Timerzianov,* 

small bones and fragments from skeletal remains.

biological traces and unknown corpses.

water exposure or decay in the corpse.

**Keywords:** Forensic genetics, degraded DNA, DNA profiling, autosomal and Y-chromosome STRs, mitochondrial DNA

*Marina V. Perelman and Olga A. Kravtsova*

of DNA Profiling from Degraded

Forensic DNA analysis is widely used to determine kinship and the identity of evidence from the crime scene and it is especially important in the identification of human remains after different types of exposure (water, heat, etc.). Currently, there are no official recommendations for forensic scientists as to which bones and tissues are the most reliable among degraded DNA samples. Since 2014 more than 350 fragments of unidentified corpses have been examined in the Forensic Biological Department (Republic Bureau of Forensic Medicine, Kazan, Russia). Based on our experience, the most reliable and reproducible DNA profiles are obtained from lower limber bones (in 90% cases), muscles (in 85% cases) and ribs (in 80% cases). However, we discovered a new source of DNA – the odontoid process of the 2nd cervical vertebra, which contains a high amount of DNA with a better state of preservation than many other bones. According to our results, when a complete skeleton or unidentified corpse is found, it is advisable to provide bones with soft tissue remnants in the absence of deeply embedded putrefactive changes. When working at the crime scene, special attention should be paid to separating

Over the past 20 years, forensic genetic analysis has become the main method for kinship determination and human identification when working with human

DNA identity can be determined 99% of the time (9), but it depends, first of all, on the number and types of studied genetic markers. Traditional forensic DNA analysis is based on autosomal and sex chromosomes STRs polymorphism and sequencing of the non-coding region of mitochondrial DNA. The effectiveness of using these markers varies in different samples due to the state of DNA preservation, especially in samples that have undergone significant changes under the influence of external conditions, such as extreme temperatures (fire), prolonged
