Strategies for Low Copy Number (LCN) Analysis

It is now a matter of routine to obtain the DNA profile of the donor of a biological stain recovered at the crime scene. Potential contributors of the stain are identified by comparing the crime scene DNA profile to profiles obtained from reference samples obtained from known individuals. The known individual profiles are developed either as a result of the law enforcement investigation itself or they comprise a statutorily maintained database of DNA profiles obtained from convicted offenders or other crime scenes. However, in a number of instances, DNA recovered from evidentiary items proves intractable to analysis. In any particular instance, such analytical failure could be due to a number of factors including the presence of degraded or otherwise damaged DNA, co-extracting PCR inhibitors, stain insolubility or the presence of insufficient (or low copy number) DNA templates.

This project is concerned with the investigation of potential strategies for analyzing samples containing low copy number (LCN) DNA templates. Probative biological evidence is often encountered with an extremely low number of starting templates (1-15 diploid cells, <100 pg) and requires the development of novel strategies for its collection, analysis and interpretation. We are investigating different strategies by which samples containing low copy numbers of starting DNA template could be DNA profiled, including whole genome amplification and single cell methods.

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Jack Ballantyne
Department of Chemistry
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32816