Analysis of DNA methylation sites used for forensic age prediction and tissue identification Deborah Silva Forensic Science Program, Department of Chemistry, Hofstra University deborah.silva@hofstra.edu
Overview
Projects
Phenotypic traits are linked to genetic components of the human system through regulatory pathways and epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, are major regulators in the translation of genotype to phenotype.
• Analysis of DNA methylation sites used for forensic age prediction and their correlation with human aging • Analysis of DNA Methylation Markers for Tissue Identification in Individuals with Different Clinical Phenotypes • Evaluation of DNA methylation biomarkers of cellular senescence and their potential to estimate human aging Improved method for analysis of bisulfite modified DNA samples (current project) • Bisulfite modification is a method often used in DNA methylation. This is a harsh process that changes the chemical structure of the DNA and can damage the strands, making it not ideal for forensic samples. The main goal of this research is to modify the current methodology used in bisulfite modification and subsequent PCR to repair damaged DNA and to improve data generation and the downstream analysis of results. Epitect kit (bisulfite modification)
Advantages of studying DNA methylation patterns for the forensic field:
Modified PCR (with DNA repair enzymes) Standard PCR
Nanodrop One (check PCR products quantity and quality)
Sample EZ methylation kit (bisulfite modification)
Modified PCR (with DNA repair enzymes) Standard PCR
Nanodrop One (check PCR products quantity and quality)