Date of Award
Fall 12-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department/Program
Forensic Science
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Mechthild Prinz
Second Reader
Lawrence Kobilinsky
Third Advisor
Grace Axler-DiPerte
Abstract
The ability to detect “touch” DNA has complicated the interpretation of DNA profiles in the field of forensics because it leads to the introduction of the concept of DNA transfer, persistence and background into casework. This project is geared towards understanding DNA transfer in the NYC subways and has relevance in groping and attempted sexual assault cases, where garments are submitted as evidence. The study involved 10 volunteers who were asked to wear a clean jacket during their trips on the subway for one week and the DNA from these jackets was collected, extracted, quantified, amplified and typed. The results showed that negative real-time PCR quantitation results did not predict STR DNA typing outcomes. DNA typing results showed that 62.3% of the alleles detected on the jackets were foreign, however, the wearer was the major component in majority of the loci tested. Most of the samples were mixtures and none of the samples yielded a major foreign component that would have been eligible for the DNA database. This study provides some insight into the amount of background DNA found on clothing in the subway environment, which is critical to determining the probative value of this type of evidence.
Recommended Citation
Tauqeer, Sannia K., "Exploration of DNA Transfer in the NYC Subway" (2016). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/1