DNA Profiling (Fingerprinting)

[piraterach]

What are the problems associated with DNA fingerprinting?E.g. time-consuming etc

Thanks

[dawkins]

In respect of what?

building a database/collecting samples from a crime scene/paternity tests/lab work.

[heathfield]

One of the most obvious is contamination of the sample by other DNA, like, you can't even breathe on it.

[Muzo]

Things like insufficient samples

[tigga]

The biggest promblem with it is............

I cant get away with anything these days dammit !

;-0

[gbfish]

I think the main problem is the cost associated with the process when compared to other forensic analysis. i.e. fingerprinting is cheap easy and reasonably fast. this is why at volume crime scene very little effort is placed on searching for DNA and more on other physical evidence.

insufficient samples are not now a problem due to the development of the low copy number polymerase chain reaction which can get a sample from just one cell, but this is also expensive and time consuming.

this advance though does pose great risk of contamination as one human cell is easily transferred in any stage of the process, particularly the recovery. one human cell could be transferred from a fingerprint powder brush from a previous crime scene.

[piraterach]

Thanks everyone