Genetic Markers Associated with Sudden Unexplained Death or Sudden Infant Death

There are two classes that are forensically linked: sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexplained death (SUD). In some cases, there is no known pathology that is identified during the autopsy, therefore a genetic screening of known mutations (in cardiac related ion channels) might identify a 'cause of death' for previously unknown cases. The researchers propose to utilize the next-generation pyrosequencing platform, 454 Roche, to identify potential mutations responsible for cardiac channel abnormalities that could potentially lead to death. A deliverable from this project would be a high throughput tool for assessing autopsy cases for the presence of genetic defects associated with channelopathies that can cause sudden cardiac death. ca/ncf