The interface between forensic science and technology: how technology could cause a paradigm shift in the role of forensic institutes in the criminal justice system.

In this paper, the importance of modern technology in forensic investigations is discussed. Recent technological developments are creating new possibilities to perform robust scientific measurements and studies outside the controlled laboratory environment. The benefits of real-time, on-site forensic investigations are manifold and such technology has the potential to strongly increase the speed and efficacy of the criminal justice system.

Comparison of stubbing and the double swab method for collecting offender epithelial material from a victim's skin.

After manual strangulation, epithelial cells originating from the offender can often be found on the skin of the victim. In order to obtain a conclusive DNA profile, it is important to secure as many epithelial cells from the offender and as few epithelial cells from the victim as possible. In this study, two methods for securing offender DNA were compared: the double swab method and an adapted tape-lifting method, so-called stubbing.

A protocol for direct and rapid multiplex PCR amplification on forensically relevant samples.

Forensic DNA typing involves a multi-step workflow. Steps include DNA isolation, quantification, amplification of a set of short tandem repeat (STR) markers, separation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and DNA profile analysis and interpretation. With that, the process takes around 10-12h.