Automated Sperm Detection in forensic DNA analysis: Implications for Rape Kit Analysis

The researchers propose to develop an advanced microscopy-based sample characterization system for the evaluation of sexual assault evidence samples. The core of this system will be a set of robust algorithms based on machine vision for scanning cell mixture solutions, characterizing their sperm content, and estimating the sperm DNA available from such samples. This core development will be supplemented with SOP's (standard operating procedures) for sample handling and operation, along with studies focused on characterizing its performance. ca/ncf