Forensic DNA and bioinformatics

Brief Bioinform. 2007 Mar;8(2):117-28. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbm006. Epub 2007 Mar 24.

Abstract

The field of forensic science is increasingly based on biomolecular data and many European countries are establishing forensic databases to store DNA profiles of crime scenes of known offenders and apply DNA testing. The field is boosted by statistical and technological advances such as DNA microarray sequencing, TFT biosensors, machine learning algorithms, in particular Bayesian networks, which provide an effective way of evidence organization and inference. The aim of this article is to discuss the state of art potentialities of bioinformatics in forensic DNA science. We also discuss how bioinformatics will address issues related to privacy rights such as those raised from large scale integration of crime, public health and population genetic susceptibility-to-diseases databases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biometry / methods*
  • Computational Biology / methods*
  • Computational Biology / trends
  • DNA / analysis*
  • DNA / genetics*
  • DNA Fingerprinting / methods*
  • DNA Fingerprinting / trends
  • DNA Mutational Analysis / methods
  • DNA Mutational Analysis / trends
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Forensic Genetics / methods*
  • Forensic Genetics / trends
  • Linkage Disequilibrium / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / methods*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / trends

Substances

  • DNA