Category Archives: DNA

DNA phenotyping can produce a sketch of the suspect. But is it ready for primetime?Jul.12.2017 / 10:56 AM ET DNA phenotyping analyzes DNA to produce a profile of physical characteristics. stevanovicigor / Getty Images/iStockphoto DNA phenotyping analyzes DNA to produce a profile of physical characteristics. stevanovicigor / Getty Images/iStockphoto

DNA fingerprinting brought a revolution in criminal investigations by giving law enforcement officers a reliable tool for linking crimes to known suspects or to individuals listed in criminal databases. But imagine if DNA could also be used to generate a police sketch that would guide officers to the guilty party even if he (or she) wasn't a suspect and had no criminal record.

It sounds like science fiction, but this futuristic-sounding forensic method is already becoming a reality. Called DNA phenotyping, the technique involves using DNA from a crime scene to determine a mystery persons physical characteristics, including skin pigmentation and hair and eye color.

Biotech companies and scientists are working to refine the technique, which holds big promise to solve cold cases.

One such case was a double murder committed in February of 2012. During a visit home from college, 19-year-old Whitley French woke up early in the morning to find herself facing a masked intruder in her Reidsville, North Carolina bedroom. When she screamed, Whitleys mother and father came running. The intruder shot and killed them and then fled. Whitley survived.

The killer left five drops of blood on the staircase, but an analysis of the DNA it contained failed to produce a match with any suspects or anyone in public databases. For three years, the double-murder remained unsolved.

In early 2015, law enforcement authorities contacted Parabon NanoLabs, a Reston, Virginia-based company that had just started offering a DNA phenotyping tool called Snapshot. From the DNA in those old drops of blood, the company predicted that the killer had fair skin, dark hair, and was of European and Latino ancestry.

Related: This Gene-Editing Breakthrough Could Change Life on Earth

Armed with those clues, detectives took a closer look at the family of Whitleys fianc and found that the blood at the crime scene matched that of Whitleys soon-to-be brother-in-law. He was arrested in June 2015, less than a month after serving as a groomsman in Whitleys wedding. He pled guilty and is now serving two life sentences.

Investigators have been relying on DNA to solve crimes since the 1990s but the tests have their limitations. Traditional DNA forensic analysis treats DNA like fingerprints, says Ellen Greytak, director of bioinformatics at Parabon NanoLabs. When you dont get any matches, the DNA cant tell you anything else about that personall they know is whether theyre male or female.

DNA phenotyping can fill in some physical traits. Eye color, hair color, and skin color are all doable, says Susan Walsh, leader of a DNA phenotyping lab at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. But scientists still have a great deal to learn about how our genes impact our appearance.

Our knowledge about inherited diseases is currently more advanced than on how we look, Manfred Kayser, a professor of forensic molecular biology at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, wrote in the journal FSI: Genetics in 2015. Kayser told NBC News in a recent email that not much has changed in the past two years. While scientists have identified new genes for traits like hair texture, ear shape, hair loss, and height, translating these discoveries into reliable forensic tools remains a challenge.

Take height, for example. Studies on twins tell us that height is about 80 percent determined by our genes, Kayser says. But identifying the exact genes that influence height is a complex task. One recent study found 700 genes that affect stature, but many more need to be identified.

Over the last few years, companies like Parabon NanoLabs and New York City-based Identitas have been offering DNA phenotyping platforms to police departments. Parabons DNA-based composite sketches which resemble a video game avatar are a bit controversial, though.

Parabon hasnt shared its algorithms, and Walsh and Keyser are skeptical of the companys methods. You cant just say that you can do something and ask people to trust you, Walsh says, adding that the research just isnt there yet to make a lifelike picture of a persons face. Theyre promising something they cant give.

The danger is that a sketch might not only give families false hope, but potentially lead crime fighters to focus on the wrong person.

The knowledge about the genetic basis of the human face is still in its infancy, Kayser says. While many genes are involved in face shape, we know only a handful of them (for instance, a gene that causes a slight reduction in the distance between the eyes. At this moment, and based on published evidence," he says, "it is not expected that any attempt to predict a human face from DNA can be accurate, reliable, and validated enough so that practical forensic application would make sense. Its going to take a lot more research before that happens.

Greytak acknowledges that Parabon NanoLabs cant produce exact measurements of the face but says its possible to draw a predicted face that strongly resembles the individual's face. This information is still helpful to police and to witnesses, she says, as long as it is used in conjunction with other clues.

Related: First of Its Kind DNA Video Raises Big Question About Molecule of Heredity

Another limit to DNA phenotyping: our environment plays an important role in our appearance. A DNA sample cannot account for changes in an individuals appearance resulting from smoking, drinking, injuries, etc.

Meanwhile, researchers like Walsh are collaborating with investigators who have exhausted all other leads in cases that involve an unknown suspect or unidentified remains. We need to see that information police officers extract from the DNA is useful, she says.

Walsh thinks its just a matter of time and more research before forensic scientists can produce reliable appearance predictions using DNA phenotyping. So someday soon, with just a few drops of blood or other biological evidence, investigators will be able to find new leads in some of the thousands of murder cases that remain unsolved in the U.S. and bring closure to victims families.

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Amazing DNA Tool Gives Cops a New Way to Crack Cold Cases - NBCNews.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Around thirty three-dimensional portraits of Chelsea Manning, created using the DNA of the transgender U.S. Army soldier imprisoned for leaking classified data, will greet visitors at eye-level at an exhibition opening in New York City next month.

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg based the portraits on a range of possible facial variations generated by software that analyzed DNA samples sent her by the former intelligence analyst when she was behind bars.

Manning, 29, was released in May from a U.S. military prison in Kansas where she had been serving time for passing secrets to the WikiLeaks website in the biggest breach of classified data in the history of the United States.

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3D portraits produced from Chelsea Manning's DNA

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3-D printed masks created by Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, are seen ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A container of DNA extracted from hair clippings and cheek swabs received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning is seen inside the studio of Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg who used the DNA to create 3-D printed masks for the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg poses with 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg holds a 3-D printed mask created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg looks at 3-D printed masks she created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg holds a dish containing hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail from which she extracted DNA to create 3-D printed masks ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

3-D printed masks created by Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, are seen ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg poses with various 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg poses with various 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A hand written letter from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail sits on a table in the studio of Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg where she created computer models for 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from Manning, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A 3-D printed mask created by Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, is pictured ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A container of DNA extracted from hair clippings and cheek swabs received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning is seen inside the studio of Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg who used the DNA to create 3-D printed masks for the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg poses with 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg works in her studio where she created computer models for 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A container of DNA extracted from hair clippings and cheek swabs received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning is seen inside the studio of Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg who used the DNA to create 3-D printed masks for the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg looks at 3-D printed masks she created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A container of DNA extracted from hair clippings and cheek swabs received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning is seen inside the studio of Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg who used the DNA to create 3-D printed masks for the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg sits in her studio where she created computer models for 3-D printed masks created from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

3-D printed masks created by Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, are seen ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

3-D printed masks created by Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg from DNA extracted from cheek swabs and hair clippings she received from formerly imprisoned U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning while she was in jail, are seen ahead of the August 2, 2017 opening of "A Becoming Resemblance", an exhibition at the Fridman gallery in New York City, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

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Other than one mugshot, photos of Manning were prohibited while she was in custody.

The exhibition by Dewey-Hagborg and Manning at the Fridman Gallery in Manhattan shows portraits of her with different color eyes or skin tone. Manning seems more masculine in some of the depictions, and in others more feminine in the show titled "A Becoming Resemblance."

"I'm hoping people will walk in and see a portrait that resonates with them and feel kind of that connection with her," Dewey-Hagborg said at the gallery, where the exhibit opens on Aug. 2.

"We are all Chelsea Manning and we all stand there with her."

Dewey-Hagborg, who has previously created art pieces produced using DNA samples, worked with Manning for more than two years on the project. It began when a magazine contacted the artist to ask whether she could create an image to accompany a feature profile of Manning.

Dewey-Hagborg said she found the former soldier to be optimistic and "incredibly brave" during all of their interactions.

Manning said she trusted the artist and gave her free reign to produce the images, according to Dewey-Hagborg, asking only that the artist did not make her appear too masculine.

"Prisons try very hard to make us inhuman and unreal by denying our image, and thus our existence, to the rest of the world." Manning said in a statement on the gallery's website.

Dewey-Hagborg said the exhibition was meant to show that DNA does not necessarily tell you what gender a person is. She also hoped that showing 30 different DNA-generated versions of Manning's face drew attention to the fact DNA-based imaging is not completely accurate.

"It's growing and developing but it's not ready for that kind of use yet," Dewey-Hagborg said of the imaging technology.

(Reporting by Taylor Harris; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Andrew Hay)

Excerpt from:
Artist to debut 3D portraits produced from Chelsea Manning's DNA - AOL

State public safety officials recently dug up remains of five unidentified bodies from several east metro graveyards and tested them against national DNA databases but couldnt find a single match.

Now theyre calling on family members of missing persons to come forward to provide DNA samples for comparison.

In order to obtain those samples, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has scheduled a series of DNA collection opportunities in mid to late July.

Immediate family is by far the most powerful specimen or sample we can get, said Catherine Knutson, a deputy superintendent with the bureau who oversees its forensic science division, during a press conferenceTuesday. There are obviously more missing than we have family members.

Their remains were exhumed from Oakland and Elmhurst cemeteries in St. Paul and Prairie Oaks Memorial Eco Garden Cemetery in Inver Grove Heights.

They include:

Additional unidentified remains have been identified but DNA samples have yet to be obtained from them.

Thats still in the planning process; we still need to work through some details to get them, Knutson said.

In all, the BCA has obtained roughly 100 sets of human remains that have yet to be identified and has already completed DNA profiles for about half of that 100. With a profile, officials have hope of identifying the remains by matching the DNA with that of a relative.

The other half of the 100 have been located, but attempts to complete DNA profiles were unsuccessful for many.

Theres just nothing available for us to work with, Knutson said.

Four of the remaining fifty have yet to be exhumed, Knutson added.

But for the five on hand, the BCA hopes more families will come in, and bring in addition to their own DNA, which would be obtained with a cheek swab photos, dental records or items such as toothbrushes or hairbrushes that might contain DNA from their missing family members.

The DNA will be entered into state and national databases to compare against the profiles of thousands of missing remains both in Minnesota and beyond. BCA officials said the family member profiles will remain in their databases to compare against remains obtained in the future.

The DNA collection events will take place at the following times and places:

Family members are asked to come in person, BCA commissioner Drew Evans said, because we need to ensure theres a solid chain of custody, that we know the person we got that sample from was the person were meeting with.

Those unable to come to the events can contact the BCA to make other arrangements to meet in person, Evans said.

BCA officials said the DNA profiles provided by family members could likely be completed and uploaded to the national database by early fall.

The BCA obtained federal grant funding in 2013 to support the identification program. Five sets of remains have since been identified through the program.

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Families of the missing asked to submit DNA to help BCA identify remains - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

FAIRFIELD, Ohio DNA Diagnostics Center on Tuesday announced the launch of its new product line called HomeDNA, a targeted selection of at-home genetic tests for skin care, healthy weight, ancestry and paternity that helps consumers make better health and wellness choices, and provides answers about family relationships both past and present.

Beginning in July, HomeDNA from DDC will be the first suite of home DNA testing products in retail stores nationwide, according to the company.

"For the first time ever, consumers can choose from an assortment of DNA tests that interest them and buy the kits at their local drug store," stated Connie Hallquist, DDC CEO. "It's exciting that cutting-edge science is so accessible and the process is so easy. Consumers collect their DNA at home with a simple cheek swab, send to our lab for processing then receive their custom report online."

The HomeDNA selection currently includes four products: Skin Care, Healthy Weight, Ancestry and Paternity.

Link:
DNA Diagnostics Center brings four genetic testing options to retail - Drug Store News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Around thirty three-dimensional portraits of Chelsea Manning, created using the DNA of the transgender U.S. Army soldier imprisoned for leaking classified data, will greet visitors at eye-level at an exhibition opening in New York City next month.

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg based the portraits on a range of possible facial variations generated by software that analyzed DNA samples sent her by the former intelligence analyst when she was behind bars.

Manning, 29, was released in May from a U.S. military prison in Kansas where she had been serving time for passing secrets to the WikiLeaks website in the biggest breach of classified data in the history of the United States.

Other than one mugshot, photos of Manning were prohibited while she was in custody.

The exhibition by Dewey-Hagborg and Manning at the Fridman Gallery in Manhattan shows portraits of her with different color eyes or skin tone. Manning seems more masculine in some of the depictions, and in others more feminine in the show titled "A Becoming Resemblance."

"I'm hoping people will walk in and see a portrait that resonates with them and feel kind of that connection with her," Dewey-Hagborg said at the gallery, where the exhibit opens on Aug. 2. "We are all Chelsea Manning and we all stand there with her."

Dewey-Hagborg, who has previously created art pieces produced using DNA samples, worked with Manning for more than two years on the project. It began when a magazine contacted the artist to ask whether she could create an image to accompany a feature profile of Manning.

Dewey-Hagborg said she found the former soldier to be optimistic and "incredibly brave" during all of their interactions.

Manning said she trusted the artist and gave her free reign to produce the images, according to Dewey-Hagborg, asking only that the artist did not make her appear too masculine.

Prisons try very hard to make us inhuman and unreal by denying our image, and thus our existence, to the rest of the world." Manning said in a statement on the gallery's website.

Dewey-Hagborg said the exhibition was meant to show that DNA does not necessarily tell you what gender a person is. She also hoped that showing 30 different DNA-generated versions of Manning's face drew attention to the fact DNA-based imaging is not completely accurate.

"It's growing and developing but it's not ready for that kind of use yet," Dewey-Hagborg said of the imaging technology.

Reporting by Taylor Harris; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Andrew Hay

Link:
Artist to debut 3D portraits produced from Chelsea Manning's DNA - Reuters

The FBI has used the same protocols to process DNA for the last 20 years. It requires a human analyst to make comparisons based on subjective choices and simplified genetic samples.

MarkPerlin's product, True Allele, uses a different method. It's a program that lets computers process every high and low point in a piece of DNA no comparisons or required.

On this episode of the Criminal Injustice podcast, host David Harris talks to Perlin about the program and how DNA analysis can be more powerful, faster and accurate.

Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

MARK PERLIN: What True Allele does is it explains the data. Unlike the human methods from the FBI, which discard data, it preserves the data, doesn't touch it and can try out hundreds of thousands of different ways of explaining the data. The better explanations have more probability, and they enter with higher probability into the final answer.

DAVID HARRIS: This comes up especially with crime scenes that have mixtures of different people's DNA. What kind of what kind of crimes would we see mixtures in?

PERLIN: You'd see mixtures in sexual assaults, where there's a victim and an assailant, or maybe a consensual partner. You'd see mixtures on almost any crime like a robbery where someone has touched a surface.

HARRIS: Touched a handgun, maybe?

PERLIN: Yes, and left their DNA on a handgun or a safe for a surface. And the DNA can be from four or five different people, so separating out who those contributors are before you would make a comparison is something the computer can do that people can't.

HARRIS: This came up in Allegheny County, here in Pittsburgh, in a case involving the murder of two sisters. Tell us about the Wolf sisters case.

PERLIN: In the Wolf sisters case, there was a lot of DNA evidence. The case was involved a lot of circumstantial evidence, because there were no eyewitnesses to how the two sisters were shot in their home. There were considerable DNA items. Most of them were mixtures and complex mixtures of two, three or four people, and in order to understand which of these suspects or victims were in items of evidence or not in items of evidence, a computer analysis was needed.

HARRIS: That's what you did in the Wolf sisters case, your software supplied that analysis, and that resulted in a guilty verdict.

PERLIN: Yes, based to a great extent on the ability of the computer to analyze DNA evidence.

HARRIS: Now if you could envision a world in which the cyber genetics method was in wide use, what would be the impact on the justice system?

PERLIN: First, we'd have information from all DNA evidence. The correct people would be convicted. The correct people would be exonerated. Most importantly, it would prevent crime.

HARRIS: How would it prevent crime?

PERLIN: For example, in the case of the Wolf sisters, there was a hat left by Allen Wade a month before the murders occurred. Using technology like True Allele would have detected that the burglar was Allen Wade. He would have been found on a real DNA database and apprehended, and these murders would never have occurred.

HARRIS: If somebody were to come to your company, a county's crime lab, and say, "We have all these untested samples. Can you help us?" What would your reaction be?

PERLIN: Our first reaction is and has been we will screen all of your evidence at no cost to help you determine where the information is in your current cases. And if you're interested, in your past cases.

Criminal Injustice is an independent podcast recorded and produced in partnership with 90.5 WESA. Find more atcriminalinjusticepodcast.com.

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DNA Analysis Isn't Foolproof, But One Pittsburgher Says It Could Be - 90.5 WESA

Laura Sudkamp with the Kentucky State Police crime lab remembers when it took months to process one DNA sample.

You literally had to stick the film in the freezer for six to eight weeks, the KSP Central Lab manager told the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary Friday. Her lab can now generate a profile on a DNA sample in one or two days, she said, but even thats a bit longer than need be under some new technology.

Enter rapid DNA testing, which allows DNA to be processed and possibly matched to an individualin two hoursor less. The technology was first used by the U.S. military and is now put to use in some labs, with federal plans underway to allow it to be used at booking stations like jails.

Sudkamp wonders if a time will come when the technology is used here in Kentucky, too.

She appeared before the committee with KSP Lt. Col. John Bradley and DNA database supervisor Regina Wells to discuss the idea of DNA collection upon felony arrestsomething that 31 states now allow for some or all felony arrests, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Combined with rapid DNA technology, samples collected in Kentucky could produce a match (if there is one) in open cases involving serious offensesin two hoursor less, she said.

Its a big change in the technology, she said, adding that rapid DNA testing can also be used to identify mass casualties from plane crashes or other events, and potentially be used in sexual assault cases.

But there is some resistance to DNA collection by law enforcement, something Lt. Col. Bradley admitted but challenged. He called DNA collection an identification service thats much more precise than fingerprints and useful in both exoneration and conviction.

Sen. Robin Webb (D-Grayson) said she opposes DNA collection in pre-conviction scenarios. She suggested that lawmakers who are considering approving DNA testing upon arrest also consider taking law enforcement out of the testing scenario.

We might ought to in the interest of justice, and efficiency sometimes, look at moving it out of the purview of law enforcement and actually letting it be independent, she told the committee.

Sudkamp tried to assuage some concerns about DNA collection from arrestees. She told lawmakers that a DNA sample from someone who is not convicted or who has their case expunged would have their DNA removed from the DNA database. And she said that her lab has the capability to handle an increase in DNA samples should Kentucky agree to DNA collection upon felony arrest.

We are right now turning around our convicted offenders within 7 to 9 days, she said. We can handle 104,000 samples and we get about 55,000 felony arrests a year.

The KSP brought a rapid DNA testing kit to the meeting to demonstrate how it works. One lawmaker who volunteered to have his DNA profiled was the committee Co-Chair Sen. Whitney Westerfield (R-Hopkinsville) who is a self-professed advocate for arrestee DNA collection.

I was happy to get swabbed If you didnt get swabbed you missed your chance, joked Westerfield.

One thing Westerfield was serious about is ensuring that operators of rapid DNA testing equipment be trained and certified, should the Kentucky General Assembly allow rapid DNA testing to be used at booking stations in the state. Sudkamp assured him that they would be registered, certified and trained.

Rapid DNA is an advancement of an older technology, said Lt. Col Bradley. It is ultimately up to Kentuckys policy makers, he said, to decide how to proceed.

I think we can have debate about that and decide the most efficient way, both as an Executive branch and as a General Assembly body, he said. The first brick in building that road is to let you all know whats out there.

Discussion about substance abuse treatment used by the state Department of Corrections, foster parenting, and a registry for putative fathers men who claim or are alleged to be the fathers of children whose mothers the men werent married to at the time of the childs birth was also on the meeting agenda.

From the Legislative Research Commission

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DNA Advancements Laid Before Kentucky Judiciary Panel - The River City News

As odd as it sounds, reviving the virus would most likely be helpful. The pharmaceutical company Tonix funded the work in hopes of using the relatively benign horsepox as a transport method for a more effective smallpox vaccine. It would also let scientists use other viruses for fighting diseases, such as introducing cancer-fighting systems using the vaccinia virus. If you could generate the necessary viruses on demand, it'd be that much easier to prevent or defeat illnesses that might otherwise have free rein.

The threat, as you might guess, comes from the ease of synthesizing a virus. The horsepox strain in question isn't a threat to humans or even horses, but it might only take the right genetic know-how, several months' work and a relatively modest shopping budget (this group spent $100,000) to do the same for a dangerous virus. A hostile nation or extremist group could theoretically engineer a virus and spark an outbreak in a rival country. It's not extremely likely -- they'd need access to both the DNA and corrupt scientists, and would have to take the risk that they might accidentally infect their own people.

It's not impossible, though, and it's that risk which might prevent further work. Nature and Science have refused to publish the relevant research paper because they're worried about the "dual-use" potential for the findings. They don't want to help create a bioweapon, after all. The researchers say their paper deliberately avoids providing so much information that newcomers could create their own viruses, though, and there are concerns that denying the paper might be stifling crucial progress. For better or for worse, this discovery may end up sitting in limbo for a long time.

Read the original:
Scientists revive an extinct virus using off-the-shelf DNA - Engadget

Photo courtesy of China Photos/Getty Images

A backlog of 1,140 untested sexual assault kits from past Montana criminal investigations will be sent out this week for testing. The process of investigating these kits was started by Montana Attorney General Tim Fox over a year ago, but a final certification required by the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has freed up $2 million grant to pay for the testing.

The certification frees up that money and we will start sending the kits in phases to a laboratory in Salt Lake City for testing, Fox said. Then we have Marshal University in Huntington West Virginia which will perform a technical review of all of the test results to make sure that there is sufficient basis for all of the scientific conclusions.

Fox says the state has put safeguards in place to prevent another backlog of sexual assault kits from forming. The Montana Department of Justice is currently hiring positions to help sort out the process after the DNA results are checked.

We will soon be hiring a victim advocate and a cold case investigator, so we will be off and running on this process, Fox said. In the mean time, we have developed policies and procedures and a database in order to track kits in the future so they dont accumulate.

Eventually, the DNA results from Montana cases may be matched up with the FBIs Combined DNA Index system, which could lead to criminal charges in cold cases from the past. Fox says the oldest sexual assault kits are being tested first to ensure that a statute of limitations on these cases doesnt become a hurdle.

Read more from the original source:
Backlog of 1140 Montana Rape Kits Sent Out For DNA Testing - Newstalkkgvo

A couple of years ago, Ancestry went into a partnership with a biotech company called Calico, owned by Google. The premise of this partnership was that Ancestry would make its customers DNA results available to this other company to use for their research purposes. Its a for-profit venture on both sides. Ancestry sells its customers DNA data to Calico and Calico makes money off the research it does. Customers pay Ancestry to conduct the DNA test, but Ancestry and its partners stand to make billions.

This May, an attorney named Joel Winston, specialist in consumer protection, former deputy attorney general for New Jersey, and formerly in the Department of Justice, posted a warning to Ancestry customers when they consent to use the DNA services. The following is a summary of his article which can be found in its entirety on https://thinkprogress.org/ancestry-com-takes-dna-ownership-rights-from-customers-and-their-relatives-dbafeed02b9en.

To use the AncestryDNA service, customers must consent to the Ancestry Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. These are binding legal contracts between the customer and Ancestry. The most egregious of these terms gives Ancestry a free license to exploit your DNA for the rest of time...There are three significant provisions...to consider on behalf of yourself and your genetic relatives: (1) the perpetual, royalty-free, world-wide license to use your DNA; (2) the warning that DNA information may be used against you or a genetic relative; (3) your waiver of legal rights, writes attorney Winston.

(1) Basically, Ancestry gets to use or distribute your DNA for any research or commercial purpose it decides and doesnt have to pay you, or your heirs... Ancestry takes this royalty-free license in perpetuity (for all time) and can distribute the results of your DNA tests anywhere in the world and with any technology that exists, or will ever be invented. With this single contractual provision, customers are granting Ancestry the broadest possible rights to own and exploit their genetic information. Although the customer can withdraw consent, full withdrawal isnt easy, may not be possible and requires more steps than just a click of a mouse.

(2) Ancestry warns customers that it is possible that information about you or a genetic relative could be revealed [and] that information could be used by insurers to deny you insurance coverage, by law enforcement agencies to identify you or your relatives, and...by employers to deny employment. (Ancestry has already turned DNA over to law enforcement in several cases).

(3) Even the genetic relatives of a customer, who have never taken the Ancestry DNA test or consented to it, are in effect signing over their rights and privacy to Ancestry when their relative takes the test: You or a genetic relative agree to hold the company harmless for any damages that AncestryDNA may cause unintentionally or purposefully. Customers give up the right to sue or participate in a class action.

Attorney Winston cautions the consumer to be aware of these issues and to fully read the privacy policy and terms of service beforehand. Since his article appeared, Ancestry has made some slight changes to the wording of their consents, but these issues still exist.

Another genetic company, 23andMe, has long been in the biomedical field and its customers also consent to other uses of their DNA. Recently, it patented a designer-baby technology, in which desired characteristics could be taken from several egg and sperm donors based on DNA profiles, and used to create a customized baby. See http://www.nature.com/gim/journal/v15/n12/full/gim2013164a.html. 23andMe customers may or may not think this idea is moral or ethical. But I doubt this is what they thought they were signing up for when they ordered the test. We dont know what the future of DNA research holds for humanity, but now Google has access to it.

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GENEALOGY: A warning to Ancestry customers who consent to use DNA services - Terre Haute Tribune Star