Past, Present and Future in Forensic Human Identification

The Institute of Legal Medicine of Polytechnic University of Marche has been working in the field of forensic identification since 1980s, contributing actively to the development of the research and the application of new techniques. Before the DNA era, human identification was based on the analysis of surface polymorphic antigen systems of blood groups and HLA complex and then on the analysis of serum proteins and red cell polymorphic isozymes. The era of forensic DNA analysis began in 1985, when Alec Jeffreys described a genetic polymorphism in the human myoglobin gene. In 1987 Kary Mullis developed the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the revolutionary power of this technology was immediately perceived and the lab was quickly switched towards this new approach. The lab of the Institute of Legal Medicine is equipped with the most recent and high throughput instruments and technologies for DNA typing, has achieved the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for the participation to the National DNA Database of genetic profiles, and is a partner of the European network of forensic genetic labs. The lab is now one of the Italian leading centers in forensic genetics and it is actively involved in the most innovative research fields in forensic genetics.