Forensic DNA Biology: A Laboratory Manual

DNA typing has revolutionized criminal investigations and has become a powerful tool in the identification of individuals in criminal and paternity cases. Forensic DNA Biology: A Laboratory Manual is comprised of up-to-date and practical experiments and step-by-step instructions on how to perform DNA analysis, including pipetting, microscopy and hair analysis, presumptive testing of body fluids and human DNA typing. Modern DNA typing techniques are provided, reflecting real life, where not all institutions and crime labs can afford the same equipment and software. Real case studies will be used throughout.

Provides practical step-by-step instruction on how to perform forensic DNA analysisIncludes analysis of hair, presumptive testing of body fluids, human DNA typing and statisticsCovers techniques such as pipetting, microscopy and DNA extractionPre- and post-lab exercises and questions assist the reader in learning the materialReport writing templates assure the reader learns real world crime lab procedure

1. Pipetting 2. Serology 3. Sampling Biological Evidence for DNA Extraction 4. DNA Extraction 5. Determination of quality and quantity of DNA using agarose gel electrophoresis 6. Determination of DNA quality and quantity using UV-vis spectroscopy 7. Determination of DNA quantity by fluorescence spectroscopy 8. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantitation of DNA 9. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer design (in silico) 10. Testing designed PCR primers in multiplex reactions 11. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of short tandem repeat (STR) loci using a commercial kit 12. Capillary electrophoresis of short-tandem repeat (STR) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from a commercial multiplex kit 13. Computing random match probability from DNA profile  data using population databases 14. Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection 15. Analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence data using bioedit 16. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction 17. Y-STR PCR amplification 18. Human genetic analysis: paternity or missing persons cases and statistics 19. Low copy number stochastic results 20. Using in silico methods to construct a short tandem repeat (STR) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence for cloning 21. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction from botanical material and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification 22. Social, ethical and regulatory concerns 23. Selected forensic DNA biology case studies Appendix:  Allele frequencies of CODIS loci