Five things we know from 30 years of

DNA fngerprinting
WEDNESDAY 10 SEPE!"E# $01%
From har&'to'(ra(k (rimes to (onservation) the &is(overy of DNA
fngerprinting 30 years ago ha& a massive impa(t on a range of s(ientif(
te(hni*+es, -hanne. % News /rings yo+ fve of the /est,
101% Professor A.e( 2e3reys &is(overs DNA fngerprinting
1014 DNA fngerprinting +se& for the frst time to so.ve immigration an&
paternity (ases
1014 frst i&entif(ation of i&enti(a. twins +sing DNA fngerprinting
1015 frst (rimina. investigation to imp.ement DNA fngerprinting evi&en(e
100$ DNA testing proves the inno(en(e of 6irk ".oo&sworth7 who ha& spent
two years on &eath row after /eing (onvi(te& of m+r&er
100$ i&entif(ation of 2osef !enge.e /y DNA ana.ysis of ske.eta. remains
"My life changed on Monday morning at 9.05 am, 11 September 1984" recalls Professor
Sir lec !effreys, remembering the moment "hen he sa" the "orld#s first genetic
fingerprint in his lab at $eicester %ni&ersity.
he a((i&enta. &is(overy was s+mme& +p /y his gran&son7 who .ater wrote
in a s(hoo. pro8e(t) 9DNA fngerprinting was &is(overe& /y my gran&&a&
when he was messing a/o+t in the .a/,9 9hat is e:a(t.y what we were
&oing9 sai& the professor,
Object1
'(t follo"ing on from that e(re)a moment, the practical applications of *+
fingerprinting "ere ,(ic)ly p(t to (se.
;mmigration
;t was Professor 2e3rey<s wife S+e who frst spotte& the imp.i(ation of his
&is(overy in immigration &isp+tes,
Within a year his &is(overy provi&e& evi&en(e for .awyers fghting the
&eportation of a yo+ng /oy who the =ome >?(e sai& was not the son of a
"ritish woman, he (hi.&<s father was a/roa& an& +n(onta(ta/.e7 so
Professor 2e3rey took samp.es from the woman7 her three &a+ghters an&
the son,
he res+.ts were so (on(.+sive that the =ome >?(e7 after /eing /riefe& /y
the professor7 agree& to &rop the (ase, Professor 2e3reys to.& the @+ar&ian
newspaper of the rea(tion of the mother) 9the .ook on her fa(e when ; to.&
her7 the re.ief ' it was a magi(a. moment, ; rea.ise& then we were on to
something of rea. +se,9
;n the ne:t &e(a&e DNA testing of 117000 immigrants prove& that 04 per
(ent were /.oo& re.atives of A6 (itiBens,
-rime s(ene ana.ysis
From 1014 Sir A.e( an& his team &eve.ope& a variation of DNA
fngerprinting whi(h they (a..e& geneti( prof.ing for forensi( +se, "+t the
frst (ase to p+t it to +se was to e:onerate a s+spe(t,
Cei(estershire Po.i(e were investigating the rape an& m+r&er of two
s(hoo.gir.s7 Cin&a !ann in 1013 an& Dawn Ashworth in 1015, hey aske&
Professor 2e3rey to DNA test semen samp.es to (ompare them with a /.oo&
samp.e from #i(har& "+(k.an&7 a .o(a. teenager with .earning &i?(+.ties
who ha& (onfesse& to the m+r&er of one of the gir.s,
he tests showe& the same man ha& m+r&ere& /oth ' /+t it a.so prove&
that the m+r&erer was not #i(har& "+(k.an&,
Po.i(e an& forensi( s(ientists s(reene& /.oo& an& sa.iva samp.es from %7000
men .iving near/y who &i& not have a.i/is for the m+r&ers /+t fo+n& no
mat(h, ;t wasn<t +nti. a frien& of -o.in Pit(hfork was hear& a&mitting that he
ha& taken the test in his p.a(e7 that Pit(hfork was teste& an& fo+n& to /e
the m+r&erer,
Death row e:oneration
;n 1014 6irk ".oo&sworth was in a prison (e..7 senten(e& to &eath for a
m+r&er he ha& not (ommitte&, ;t wasn<t +nti. 100$ that he rea& in a /ook
an a((o+nt of how DNA prof.ing ha& so.ve& the ki..ings of the Cei(estershire
s(hoo.gir.s, =e p+she& for the evi&en(e in his (ase to /e teste& in one of
on.y two .a/oratories in the ASA then &oing s+(h work,
he res+.ts prove& that he was inno(ent an& his e:perien(e ' in(.+&ing two
years spent on &eath row ' .e& him to (ampaign s+((essf+..y for the
intro&+(tion of a post'(onvi(tion DNA testing programme,
;n the A6 the po.i(e now have a nationa. &ata/ase of $,4m geneti( prof.es7
whi(h o?(ers regar& as one of the most powerf+. too.s in the fght against
(rime,
Fami.ia. sear(hing
Fo..owing the $003 &eath of !i(hae. Citt.e7 a .orry &river hit /y a /ri(k
thrown from a motorway /ri&ge7 forensi( investigators +se& a pioneering
approa(h of fami.ia. sear(hing,
Not having fo+n& a mat(h for the tra(es of DNA on the /ri(k7 they fo+n& a
simi.iar prof.e on the po.i(e &ata/ase who t+rne& o+t to /e the /rother of
the (+.prit, rie& an& senten(e& to si: years7 he /e(ame the frst man to /e
(onvi(te& on evi&en(e .inking DNA fo+n& at the s(ene of a (rime to a
re.ative of the a((+se&,
NaBi mystery
;n 1011 Professor 2e3reys was (a..e& in /y the ;srae.i a+thorities to (ompare
/.oo& samp.es from the wife an& son of the notorio+s naBi &o(tor 2osef
!enge.e with the ske.eta. remains of a man /+rie& in 10D0 +n&er the name
Wo.fgang @erhar&,
he res+.ts showe& that it was over 00,0% per (ent (ertain the ske.eton was
!enge.e<s7 an& the @erman an& ;srae.i governments (.ose& the (ase of the
f+gitive war (rimina.,
En&angere& spe(ies
he te(hni*+es of DNA prof.ing are now /eing +se& /y (onservationists in
the /att.e to prote(t rare anima.s,
-apitve /ree&ing programmes have +se& DNA testing to esta/.ish how
(.ose.y re.ate& potentia. /ree&ing partners might /e in or&er to ma:imise
the (han(es of s+((essf+. .ive o3spring to preserve threatene& pop+.ation,
A te(hni*+e known as (onservation geneti(s (an he.p /io.ogists estimate
how .ong a pop+.ation might s+rvive over time an& assess the impa(t of
the fragmentation of a spe(ies (a+se& /y the .oss of ha/itat,
#easear(h /y the ;nternationa. F+n& for Anima. We.fare E;FAWF (ampaign
gro+p p+/.ishe& in 1004 +se& DNA tests to provi&e evi&en(e that 2apan an&
6orea ha& engage& in the i..ega. ki..ing an& sa.e of meat from en&angere&
wha.es, 2apan .ater move& to to .ega.ise the sa.e of 9in(i&enta. (at(h9 '
when a wha.e is (a+ght /y a 2apanese fsherman in his nets,
Posted by -ha&am