Future of DNA Fingerprinting: Application of NGS in Forensic Science

Abstract

In the relatively short time frame since 2005, NGS has fundamentally altered genomics research and allowed investigators to conduct experiments that were previously not technically feasible or affordable. The various technologies that constitute this new paradigm continue to evolve, and further improvements in technology robustness and process streamlining will pave the path for translation into clinical diagnostics. NGS is no doubt one of most important and noteworthy technological advances in the biological sciences in the last two decades. NGS has also made its mark in the application in forensic sciences. It has overcome the limitations of capillary electrophoresis and also have the potential to provide multi-information like sequence variation detections, differentiating monozygotic twins, STR typing of degraded samples, etc. The best part of NGS is that we can parallel do the typing of CODIS STRs loci and sequencing study to detect the allelic variations simultaneously. Currently many NGS kits are being developed and available which have huge application in forensic field. This chapter reviews the discovery, advancement, applications, and development of new NGS-based forensic kits and highlighted the applications of NGS in the field of forensic science and criminal justice system.