U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Forensic DNA Education for Law Enforcement Decisionmakers

DNA Analysis, Amplification

Home  |  Glossary  |  Resources  |  Help  |  Contact Us  |  Course Map
 

Time Required to Perform Laboratory Analysis

Step 3: DNA Analysis, Amplification

The sensitivity of DNA analyses is due in large part to the amplification process, during which highly accurate copies of the extracted DNA are created to bring the concentration of DNA to required levels for subsequent steps. Human DNA is very similar from person to person. The United States forensic community has standardized its analyses on several locations known to be different between individuals; these are called loci (singular: locus). Due to the critical and sensitive nature of amplification and subsequent steps, the process is tightly controlled, requiring exact chemistries, temperatures, times, etc., for accurate analyses.

Graph of Locus, Alleles, and Profile
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

Back Forward