STTR Phase I: Body fluid identification for forensic purposes using Raman spectroscopy

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目建议开发第一种通用方法，用于非破坏性的，确认性的识别犯罪中发现的生物污渍中的所有主要体液，克服标准生化测试在识别生物污渍时的局限性。拟议的技术将允许快速，准确和无损地识别和区分支持将DNA与体液类型联系起来的可能性的生物染色剂，从而提高犯罪实验室的效率并协助执法人员识别嫌疑犯。在商业上，这项技术将用于美国司法部内的600多个犯罪调查实验室和19，000多个犯罪现场调查人员。这种新方法有可能减少美国各地犯罪实验室积压的未处理DNA样本，这一分析平台有可能大大推进犯罪现场分析领域的工作，因为它取代了单一的体液特定化学测试，这种测试在本质上是不准确和破坏性的，而软件提供了积极识别所有体液的新能力，以便就样本内容和进一步分析作出实时决定。 该项目将通过优化桌面仪器的拉曼光谱方法来建立原理验证，同时进一步开发用于实际体液采样的软件。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project proposes to develop the first universal method for non-destructive, confirmatory identification of all main bodily fluids in biological stains revealed at a crime, overcoming the limitations of standard biochemical tests when identifying biological stains. The proposed technology will allow for rapid, accurate and nondestructive identification of, and distinction between, biological stains that supports the possibility of linking DNA to a bodily fluid type, thus increasing the efficiency of crime labs and assisting law enforcement personnel in the identification of suspected criminals. Commercially, this technology will be of use to the 600+ Crime Investigation Labs and 19,000+ crime scene investigators within the U.S. Department of Justice. The new approach has the potential to reduce the backlog of unprocessed DNA samples in crime labs across the U.S., while providing data that can improve the efficiency of evidence analyses.This analysis platform has the potential to significantly advance the field of crime scene analysis by replacing single body fluid-specific chemical tests, that are inaccurate and destructive in nature, with software that offers the novel ability to positively identify all bodily fluids in order to generate real-time decisions regarding sample content and further analyses. The project will establish proof-of-principle through the optimization of a Raman spectroscopy method for a desktop instrument while further developing software for realistic body fluid sampling. This will allow for the development of a working prototype for crime laboratory usage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.