Is the age just a number? Individual age determination for forensic purposes

Identifier:  TFM:554

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFM554

Authors:  Abad Romero, Amanda

Abstract:
Individual identification through genetic studies is one of the key points in forensic investigation. Current technique used is the analysis of genetic markers by comparison with a reference sample, but phenotypic markers studies, especially informative markers of individual age, are being developed nowadays. The advantage is the fact that these markers allow us to identify intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics without needing samples to compare with. Focusing on age determination for forensic purposes, epigenetic patterns have been found to be related to ageing, specifically DNA methylation. It has been shown, from different studies, that there is a direct relationship between the level of cytosines' methylation of the CpG islands and the passage of time. There are different methylation analysis methods which are based on DNA pretreatment, highlighting bisulfite conversion, and on methylation profile evaluation techniques, highlighting SNaPshot® assays, among others. Furthermore, based on the different techniques, predictive models have been built based on biomarkers for estimating age from DNA methylation studies. Most of these predictive techniques are used for blood samples and, therefore, it is important to carry out preliminary studies of new methods for other biological traces. Finally, it is worth highlighting the importance of advances in forensic genetics, either to improve techniques to obtain more precise results or because there are still many unanswered questions. Likewise, it highlights the importance of reaching a consensus on global DNA analyzes to facilitate police investigations.