Determination of the Age (Time Since Deposition) of a Biological Stain

The ability to determine the time since deposition of a biological stain found at a crime scene could prove invaluable to investigators, defining the time frame in which the individual depositing the evidence was present. The fundamental assumption of this proposal is that biochemical reactions still occur in the dried state and as dried stains age, and damage and degradation to macromolecules such as DNA, RNA and protein occur. This project will investigate whether the degradation and oxidative damage to DNA and mRNA in bloodstains can be correlated with time since deposition (TSD) and whether this correlation is sufficiently robust to be useful for routine use.

ca/ncf