"Forens-OMICS" on Human Remains and Biological Fluids for Age-at-Death, Post-Mortem Interval and Time Since Deposition Estimation in Forensic Contexts

关于法医背景下人体遗骸和生物体液死亡年龄、死后间隔和沉积时间估计的“Forens-OMICS”

• 批准号: MR/Y019989/1
• 负责人: Noemi Procopio
• 金额: $ 75.81万
• 依托单位: University of Central Lancashire
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FY019989%2F1
• 关键词: Forens; OMICS; Human; Remains; Biological

This project builds upon previous research that utilized advanced technologies in biology and biochemistry labs to address two crucial questions in forensic science: determining the post-mortem interval (PMI) and estimating the age-at-death (AAD) of a victim. Existing methods for these estimations often rely on the expertise of scientists, resulting in inconsistent results and subjectivity. Additionally, PMI estimation techniques require soft tissue evaluations soon after death, while AAD determination relies on intact skeletal features. These limitations are evident when dealing with skeletal remains or incomplete bodies, common in cold cases, natural disasters, and other scenarios.Technological advancements now allow researchers to extract valuable biological information from minute samples, such as tiny bone fragments, using "omics" disciplines (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics). These bone biomolecules exhibit distinct signatures related to in-vivo and post-mortem aging processes within small biological samples. In the previous research conducted by our group, the application of "omics" technologies to study the aging of human remains was named "Forens-OMICS". The initial work involved studying multiple molecular signatures (DNA, proteins, lipids, metabolites) in a non-targeted manner to identify putative predictive markers for aging. As a continuation of the previously conducted work in "Forens-OMICS", this project now aims to validate the previously identified markers using targeted approaches that provide quantitative precision and reproducibility, a crucial requirement in forensic scenarios. The validated markers will then be combined into user-friendly panels for unbiased, reliable, and quick estimations using the instrumentation widely available in forensic laboratories.In addition to validating the previously identified biomarkers for PMI and AAD estimation, this project also expands its original scope of PMI/AAD estimation from skeletal remains by applying the "Forens-OMICS" approach to multiple biological fluids usually recovered at crime scenes, aiming to estimate the time since deposition (TsD) of a stain at the scene. By establishing a relationship between specific markers (RNA, microbes, proteins, metabolites, lipids) and time, accurate TsD estimation via multi-omics approaches becomes possible. This is crucial for linking DNA-identified stains to crimes or estimating PMI from cadaveric fluids.To achieve these goals, the project will be conducted in collaboration with anthropological facilities in the United States, which will provide additional human bone material for the validation of the identified markers on a set of independent samples. Historical human bones from the 18th and 19th centuries will also be included to assess the "Forens-OMICS" method applicability to older specimens, for its future implementation also on archaeological contexts. The obtained information will be integrated using advanced bioinformatics tools to develop improved mathematical models for PMI and AAD estimation via the targeted analysis of the validated biomarkers. Additionally, the application of the "Forens-OMICS" method to biological fluids will pave the way for the application of multi-omics strategies in new forensic contexts and will provide practitioners with a new tool for assessing TsD in a novel and precise way.

该项目基于以前利用生物学和生物化学实验室的先进技术来解决法医科学中的两个关键问题：确定验尸间隔（PMI）并估算受害者的年龄 - 死亡（AAD）。这些估计的现有方法通常取决于科学家的专业知识，从而导致结果和主观性不一致。此外，PMI估计技术需要在死亡后不久进行软组织评估，而AAD测定依赖于完整的骨骼特征。当处理骨骼残留物或不完整的身体时，这些限制是显而易见的，在寒冷的病例，自然灾害和其他场景中很常见。技术进步现在允许研究人员从分钟样本（例如微小骨碎片）（例如使用“不骨碎片），使用“魔术学”学科（基因组学，蛋白质组学，代谢组合）中提取有价值的生物学信息。这些骨生物分子表现出与小型生物样品中体内和验尸老化过程有关的不同特征。在我们小组进行的先前研究中，“法律”技术在研究人类遗体衰老时的应用被称为“ Forens-Omics”。最初的工作涉及以非靶向方式研究多个分子特征（DNA，蛋白质，脂质，代谢物），以识别衰老的推定预测标记。作为先前在“ Forens-Omics”中进行的工作的延续，该项目旨在使用具有定量精确性和可重复性的有针对性方法来验证先前确定的标记，这是法医场景中的重要要求。 The validated markers will then be combined into user-friendly panels for unbiased, reliable, and quick estimations using the instrumentation widely available in forensic laboratories.In addition to validating the previously identified biomarkers for PMI and AAD estimation, this project also expands its original scope of PMI/AAD estimation from skeletal remains by applying the "Forens-OMICS" approach to multiple biological fluids usually recovered at crime scenes, aiming估计自现场污渍沉积（TSD）以来的时间。通过建立特定标记（RNA，微生物，蛋白质，代谢物，脂质）与时间之间的关系，可以通过多摩学方法进行准确的TSD估计。这对于将DNA识别的污渍与犯罪联系起来或估算尸体流体的PMI至关重要。为了实现这些目标，该项目将与美国的人类学设施合作进行，这将为验证一组独立样本的确定标记提供其他人体材料。还将包括18世纪和19世纪的历史人骨头，以评估对较旧标本的“ Forens-omics”方法的适用性，因为它的未来实施也在考古背景下。获得的信息将使用先进的生物信息学工具集成，以通过对经过验证的生物标志物的目标分析来开发改进的PMI和AAD估计的数学模型。此外，“ Forens-omics”方法在生物流体上的应用将为在新的法医环境中应用多摩尼斯策略的应用铺平道路，并将为从业者提供新的工具，以新颖而精确的方式评估TSD。