Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, 31 Forensic Drive, Macleod 3085, Australia; School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3086, Australia.
Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, 31 Forensic Drive, Macleod 3085, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong 3220, Australia.
Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2019 Jan;38:140-166. doi: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.10.014. Epub 2018 Oct 26.
Understanding the variables impacting DNA transfer, persistence, prevalence and recovery (DNA-TPPR) has become increasingly relevant in investigations of criminal activities to provide opinion on how the DNA of a person of interest became present within the sample collected. This review considers our current knowledge regarding DNA-TPPR to assist casework investigations of criminal activities. There is a growing amount of information available on DNA-TPPR to inform the relative probabilities of the evidence given alternative scenarios relating to the presence or absence of DNA from a specific person in a collected sample of interest. This information should be used where relevant. However, far more research is still required to better understand the variables impacting DNA-TPPR and to generate more accurate probability estimates of generating particular types of profiles in more casework relevant situations. This review explores means of achieving this. It also notes the need for all those interacting with an item of interest to have an awareness of DNA transfer possibilities post criminal activity, to limit the risk of contamination or loss of DNA. Appropriately trained forensic practitioners are best placed to provide opinion and guidance on the interpretation of profiles at the activity level. However, those requested to provide expert opinion on DNA-related activity level issues are often insufficiently trained to do so. We advocate recognition of DNA activity associated expertise to be distinct from expertise associated with the identification of individuals. This is to be supported by dedicated training, competency testing, authorisation, and regular fit for purpose proficiency testing. The possibilities for experts to report on activity-related issues will increase as our knowledge increases through further research, access to relevant data is enhanced, and tools to assist interpretations are better exploited. Improvement opportunities will be achieved sooner, if more laboratories and agencies accept the need to invest in these aspects as well as the training of practitioners.
了解影响 DNA 转移、持久性、普遍性和恢复（DNA-TPPR）的变量在犯罪活动调查中变得越来越重要，以便就感兴趣的人的 DNA 如何出现在所收集的样本中提供意见。本综述考虑了我们目前关于 DNA-TPPR 的知识，以协助犯罪活动的案例调查。关于 DNA-TPPR 的信息越来越多，可以告知在与特定人在感兴趣的收集样本中存在或不存在 DNA 相关的替代情况下，证据的相对可能性。应在相关情况下使用这些信息。但是，仍然需要进行更多的研究，以更好地了解影响 DNA-TPPR 的变量，并在更符合案例工作相关情况的情况下生成更准确的特定类型谱产生概率估计。本综述探讨了实现这一目标的方法。它还指出，所有与感兴趣的物品互动的人都需要意识到犯罪活动后 DNA 转移的可能性，以限制 DNA 污染或丢失的风险。经过适当培训的法医从业人员最适合就活动水平上的谱进行解释提供意见和指导。但是，那些被要求就与 DNA 相关的活动水平问题提供专家意见的人往往没有接受过足够的培训。我们主张将与 DNA 活动相关的专业知识与与个体识别相关的专业知识区分开来。这将得到专门培训、能力测试、授权和定期适合目的的熟练程度测试的支持。随着我们通过进一步研究增加知识、增强对相关数据的访问以及更好地利用辅助解释的工具，专家报告活动相关问题的可能性将增加。如果更多的实验室和机构接受投资于这些方面以及从业人员培训的必要性，那么改进机会将更快实现。
