‘Combining DNA analysis, fingerprints and biomarkers can significantly increase the evidential value of traces,’ argues dr hab. Aneta Lewkowicz, prof. UG. The team she leads has developed a new forensic method that allows more information to be obtained from a single sample than with the methods used to date.
This innovative solution, combining knowledge from the fields of biology, chemistry and physics, is intended to improve the work of laboratories and law enforcement agencies.
Currently, two basic identification methods dominate forensics: dactyloscopic analysis and genetic material testing. However, these procedures have their limitations – they often allow only one type of trace to be assessed and can be partially destructive.
‘The use of dactyloscopic powders applied with special brushes can lead to the transfer of genetic material from one trace to another,’ explains prof. Aneta Lewkowicz, head of the Forensic Research Unit at the Department of Substantive Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Gdańsk. ‘The use of a solution to visualise prints greatly reduces this risk.’
The new method, developed by a team led by Prof. Aneta Lewkowicz, combines dactyloscopic analysis with DNA analysis and analysis of other biomolecules present in sweat and sebum. This allows a single procedure to obtain more information from a single trace.
‘Combining these two approaches into a single coherent protocol can significantly increase the evidential value of the material obtained. It can also streamline the work of the investigating authorities and those working directly with the traces,’ the researcher explains.
The project was carried out in international cooperation with dr Emiliano Laudadio from the Università Politecnica delle Marche, as well as in close partnership with dr Marcelina Malinowska from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Gdańsk and dr Joanna Koczur from the University of Silesia in Katowice.
The development of the new method is the result of an interdisciplinary approach combining biology (genetic material), physics (spectroscopic characteristics of the dyes used in the analysis) and chemistry (the reaction environment and interactions occurring in the solution). As prof. Aneta Lewkowicz argues: ‘Only by combining these perspectives is it possible to create a complete, methodologically and interpretatively consistent protocol for handling research material.’
The new method also offers additional possibilities for analysing biological material. In addition to identifying the person who left the trace, in the case of material from a deceased person, it can provide information about, among other things, the time of death. The solution developed by the team does not destroy genetic material or other biomolecules, which increases the effectiveness and reliability of the analyses.
‘We are striving to combine all elements of the procedure in such a way that, despite the difficult conditions at the scene, it is possible to obtain reliable and repeatable results,’ emphasises prof. Aneta Lewkowicz.
Although the work is basic research, scientists are already thinking about its practical application. They point out that the method can be used routinely in forensic laboratories, both in Poland and in a broader international context.
The work carried out is of significant importance both for the development of forensic science and for research at the intersection of chemistry, biology and physics. The results have been published in the renowned journal Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy.
Article: Integrated DNA examination with fluorescent biomarker analysis
The research described is also part of a patent application filed with the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland (No. P.453905).