By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Rape cases could be solved quicker thanks to a forensic science breakthrough.
Researchers in Canada have developed a “radical” new technique for analyzing evidence in sexual assault cases.
They say the new approach could streamline the forensics pipeline and reduce delays in the processing of DNA evidence.
It could also eliminate one of the reasons victims are reluctant to report sex attacks – the perception that analysis of forensic evidence is too slow, according to research published in the journal Advanced Science.
Lead author Dr. Mohamed Elsayed, of the University of Toronto, said: “For this research, we read reports and surveys that asked victims why they weren’t reporting assaults.
“And the most common answer was that they didn’t have confidence in the justice system – and that lack of confidence was partly because of how long the process takes.”
He explained that processing forensic evidence in sexual assault cases is a highly technical, multi-step process.
DNA evidence is first collected from the victim, and then usually sent to a forensic lab for analysis by a skilled technician.
Once there, the sample is first processed to isolate the assailant’s DNA from the victim’s; analysis of the assailant’s DNA can then be conducted and used to identify a suspect.
The entire process can take days, weeks or even longer.
Most of that time is taken up with transporting the evidence to the lab; also, once at the lab, the speed with which the sample is analyzed depends on the number of other cases requiring analysis.
The researchers focused on the first step – that of separating the DNA of two individuals from a single sample.
Currently, that can only be done manually by trained and experienced experts in a lab.
Now Dr. Elsayed and his colleagues have developed a process for separating two individuals’ DNA employing a process called the “differential digestion technique” using digital microfluidics.
He says the new approach mitigates the current logistical and technical challenges.
The researchers simplified the process by reducing the number of manual steps needed to isolate the assailant’s DNA from 13 to five.
Dr. Elsayed said: “Also because micro-fluidic processes tend to be faster, we expect that one of the eventual benefits will be shortening the overall time needed.”
He says the new approach could also lead to a mobile solution that doesn’t require a lab. For example, testing could be done at a hospital where a victim would usually be taken in a sexual assault case, thereby eliminating time necessary for the sample to reach the lab.
Dr. Elsayed said the new technique is compatible with the technology known as Rapid DNA Analysis, already in use for the second step of identifying an individual from their DNA.
The research team say the long term goal would be to integrate the two technologies to make the process even more streamlined.
But there are many challenges to overcome before the new technique is operational and deployed.
However, Dr. Elsayed is confident those challenges will be solved and has turned his efforts toward making it commercially viable and widely accessible.
He added: “Our plan is to develop an instrument that will do in five minutes what currently takes 45 – and to run many more samples than previously.
“Once we do that, the next step would be to introduce the technology to forensic labs and hospitals.
“It will take years, but the potential is very exciting.”
