Difference between revisions of "Team:Dundee"

 
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<b>Under construction</b>
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            <h1><highlight class="highlight">CSI: DUNDEE</highlight></h1>
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<br><br>
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            <h3><highlight class="highlight">The Forensic Toolkit</highlight></h3>
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This is the wiki of the 2015 Dundee iGEM Team.
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            <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Dundee/Introduction_Video" class="btn btn-info btn-lg">Watch Our Introduction Video</a>
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<b>Project Description </b>
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          <h3>Forensic Toolkit</h3>
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          <p class="about-content">Our forensic toolkit, most importantly, puts science first. Through the use of synthetic biology technologies, our project has aimed to lay the foundations for the development of a set of new and improved forensic methods.</p>
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          <a href="#section2"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-globe" type="button"></span></a>
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          <h3>Outreach</h3>
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          <p class="about-content">In order to gain a deeper insight into the field of forensics, we liaised with a diverse mix of professionals, from criminal lawyers to crime writers, who kindly shared with us their advice and expertise.</p>
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          <a href="#section3"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-eye-open"></span></a>
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          <h3>About Us</h3>
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          <p class="about-content">We are an enthusiastic group of Dundee University students who are studying a mix of subjects. We are all united by our shared passion for scientific research and the chance to create something that could really make a difference!</p>
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<p>Forensic science is a far reaching subject area which touches upon many scientific disciplines
 
  
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including chemistry, biology and physics whilst also interacting intimately with the world of law,  
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                <h2>FluID</h2>
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                <p>Distinction between different body fluids at a crime scene currently requires the use of numerous time consuming methods. Our BioSpray aims to provide an efficient, all in one solution that can be used to detect and distinguish between body fluids based on fluorescent microsphere technology in combination with synthetic biology.</p>
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                <h2>FINGERPRINT AGING</h2>
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                <p>One of the biggest challenges currently facing forensic scientists is the ability to determine the age of fingerprints left at crime scenes. This is due to the extensive range of factors which affect fingerprint composition therefore, through the use of complex mathematical modelling, we hope to identify a potential target within fingerprints that could be reliably targeted using synthetic biology and correlated to an appropriate time scale.</p>
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                <h2>CHROMATE SENSOR</h2>
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                <p>Crime cases which involve cut marks being left on bones are, at present, examined solely by visual methods such as microscopy. Although these methods provide powerful evidence, there is no chemical test currently in place which is used to detect residue deposited on bone by implements used during a crime. Such information may prove useful in establishing the nature of the weapon used as well as locating fine cuts that may go unnoticed during post mortem examination.</p>
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                <a href="https://2015.igem.org/Team:Dundee/Forensic_Toolkit" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg" role="button">Learn more</a>
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                <a href="#selection" class="btn btn-info btn-lg" role="button">&uarr;</a>
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ethics and civil liberties. It is a field which is largely constituted by superficial analytical
 
  
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techniques that are based around visual observation and expert interpretation. Despite the  
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                <h2>WHO DID WE MEET?</h2>
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                <p>We have been lucky enough to have held several fantastic interviews throughout the summer with a range of professionals who helped give invaluable insight into the field of forensic science in many different contexts.</p>
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            <div class="row">
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                <h2>WHAT DID WE LEARN?</h2>
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                <p>It became apparent from our early meetings that Forensic Science is a field which is largely founded on the basis of expert interpretation rather being subject to robust scientific scrutiny. Our science first approach offers an exciting alternative in terms of how investigative forensic tools are developed. Our hope is that this can help to improve the efficiency of existing techniques as well as lead to the production of brand new methods.</p>
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significant scientific advances of recent times, there is a surprising lack of robust and putative
 
  
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scientific testing used in forensic science. Although regarded as the holy grail of forensic
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                <h2>WHO ARE WE?</h2>
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                <p>We are a mix of third and fourth year undergraduate students with backgrounds in Life Sciences, Physics and Mathematics. To find out more about us individually, visit our Team page.</p>
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evidence, even DNA traces can be argued against in a court of law given the chance, no matter
 
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how slim, that it may belong to another person. This highlights a real need for the development
 
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of additional tools that can be used to acquire powerful evidence that can ensure justice is being
 
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served appropriately and categorically. Our project aims to tackle this issue, by adopting a
 
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science first approach, a tactic which we found to be missing in current forensic methodologies.
 
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Our Forensic Toolkit has three key components which we hope will offer new solutions to
 
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longstanding challenges within forensic science but also improve efficiency of older methods.</p>
 
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<p>The first of these tools is one which would most likely used in an investigative nature, in the
 
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initial stages of an investigation. Distinction between different body fluids at a crime scene
 
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currently requires the use of numerous time consuming methods. Our BioSpray aims to provide
 
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an efficient, all in one solution that can be used to detect and distinguish between body fluids,
 
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namely blood, semen, saliva and nasal mucus, based on fluorescent nanobead technology in
 
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combination with synthetic biology. In theory, identification would occur by spraying a solution of
 
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nanobeads crosslinked to a mixture of binding proteins, one unique for each fluid, onto a
 
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sample, allowing for efficient visualisation and immediate identification.</p>
 
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<p>One of the most enduring challenges faced by forensic scientists is the ability to determine the age of fingermarks left at crime scenes; something that currently cannot be done. This is due to the extensive range of factors which affect fingermark composition. Through the use of principle component analysis (PCA) on a set of fingermark composition data, we hope to identify a potential set of kinetically related compounds within fingermarks that degrade at a constant rate in time. This could then be modelled into differential equations. After the most reactive composites have been identified using PCA, a synthetic biology tool can be used to target them for age deduction.</p>
 
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<p>Crime cases which involve marks being left on bones, including sharp as well as blunt force
 
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trauma, are currently examined mainly by visual methods such as microscopy. Although these
 
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techniques provide powerful evidence, there is no chemical test currently in place which is used
 
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to detect residue deposited on bone by implements used during a crime. Such information may
 
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prove incredibly useful in establishing whether it is worth pursuing further tests, which tend to be
 
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very costly, by identifying if there are any particles on the evidence in the first instance. Since
 
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chromium is a key component of stainless steel, from which many common weapons and tools
 
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are made, our aim is to design a sensor that could determine the presence of chromate on
 
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bones.</p>
 
 
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Latest revision as of 19:42, 18 September 2015

CSI: DUNDEE

The Forensic Toolkit

Watch Our Introduction Video

Forensic Toolkit

Our forensic toolkit, most importantly, puts science first. Through the use of synthetic biology technologies, our project has aimed to lay the foundations for the development of a set of new and improved forensic methods.

Outreach

In order to gain a deeper insight into the field of forensics, we liaised with a diverse mix of professionals, from criminal lawyers to crime writers, who kindly shared with us their advice and expertise.

About Us

We are an enthusiastic group of Dundee University students who are studying a mix of subjects. We are all united by our shared passion for scientific research and the chance to create something that could really make a difference!

FluID

Distinction between different body fluids at a crime scene currently requires the use of numerous time consuming methods. Our BioSpray aims to provide an efficient, all in one solution that can be used to detect and distinguish between body fluids based on fluorescent microsphere technology in combination with synthetic biology.

FINGERPRINT AGING

One of the biggest challenges currently facing forensic scientists is the ability to determine the age of fingerprints left at crime scenes. This is due to the extensive range of factors which affect fingerprint composition therefore, through the use of complex mathematical modelling, we hope to identify a potential target within fingerprints that could be reliably targeted using synthetic biology and correlated to an appropriate time scale.

CHROMATE SENSOR

Crime cases which involve cut marks being left on bones are, at present, examined solely by visual methods such as microscopy. Although these methods provide powerful evidence, there is no chemical test currently in place which is used to detect residue deposited on bone by implements used during a crime. Such information may prove useful in establishing the nature of the weapon used as well as locating fine cuts that may go unnoticed during post mortem examination.

Learn more ↑

WHO DID WE MEET?

We have been lucky enough to have held several fantastic interviews throughout the summer with a range of professionals who helped give invaluable insight into the field of forensic science in many different contexts.

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

It became apparent from our early meetings that Forensic Science is a field which is largely founded on the basis of expert interpretation rather being subject to robust scientific scrutiny. Our science first approach offers an exciting alternative in terms of how investigative forensic tools are developed. Our hope is that this can help to improve the efficiency of existing techniques as well as lead to the production of brand new methods.

Learn more ↑

WHO ARE WE?

We are a mix of third and fourth year undergraduate students with backgrounds in Life Sciences, Physics and Mathematics. To find out more about us individually, visit our Team page.

Learn more ↑