Project overview
The analysis of short tandem repeats (STRs) forms the basis of the current forensic DNA profiling system. This powerful technique was invented and developed in the UK, and is now used throughout the world. In this methodology several PCR reactions are carried out simultaneously in a single tube (multiplex PCR), often on very small and/or degraded samples of DNA isolated from scene of crime environments. The potential size of a multiplex is limited by the tendency of individual PCR primers to interact and form primer-dimers, which spoil the assay. We propose to develop novel chemically modified PCR primers to prevent these problems. This will allow very large multiplexes to be developed and greatly extend the reliability, accuracy and utility of DNA analysis in forensic science. The importance of multiplex PCR in the field of forensic science is immense. It extends from DNA profiling to the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The aim of this project is to greatly increase the efficiency of multiplex PCR and to apply the improved methods to severalareas of forensic science.
Research outputs
2007, Tetrahedron, 63(17), 3483-3490
Type: article