00.00, Tuesday 22 June 2010
Genetic fingerprinting and beyond
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys FRS FMedSci
The accidental development of DNA fingerprinting 25 years ago marked the birth of DNA-based identification. While initially seen as an academic curiosity with possible specialist applications in biology, no-one could have predicted the rapid and remarkable impact that DNA typing would have, most notably in forensic and legal medicine.
The development of DNA identification has expanded the range of investigations now possible using molecular genetics, as well as allowing the creation of major national DNA databases that are proving extraordinarily effective in the fight against crime.