Further Development of Raman Spectroscopy for Body Fluid Investigation: Forensic Identification, Limit of Detection, and Donor Characterization

• NCJ Number: 309936
• Author(s): Claire K. Muro
• Date Published: 2017
• Length: 92 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2015-R2-CX-0019
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation; Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Further Development of Raman Spectroscopy for Body Fluid Investigation: Method Advancement and Validation

Annotation

This study continues earlier research into the use of Raman spectroscopy for body fluid investigation.

Abstract

This study builds on earlier work exploring the use of Raman spectroscopy for body fluid investigation, further developing this research. The challenges to forensic body fluid analysis have placed limitations on the type of information that investigators can acquire and how that information can be collected. In recent years, Raman spectroscopy has proven itself useful for characterizing body fluids. In 2008, a large-scale investigation was undertaken to explore the use of Raman spectroscopy as a means of identifying body fluids. This work resulted in multidimensional Raman spectroscopic signatures for the five main body fluids: semen, peripheral blood, saliva, vaginal fluid, and sweat. These studies were incredibly successful and created the foundation for years of continued research.