The method has been developed by Dr. Lednev from the University at Albany and the next phase is to create a portable device, in the form of “point-and-shoot” scanner to be used by law enforcement officers. By scanning samples of saliva it is hoped to provide crime scene investigators with real-time information about the sex, race and age of a person. As well as saliva, it is hoped to develop the device to obtain this vital information from a scan of other bodily fluids.
Dr. Lednev is a chemist and he has demonstrated that his new method has a 92 percent accuracy based on saliva left behind at a crime scene. The method is based on Raman spectroscopy. This method measures the intensity of scattered light by shining lasers on a sample. Because no two compounds are the same, a unique finger print is produced. A further advantage with the method is that it’s non-destructive and it serves to preserve the genetic information of the sample.
To test out the method, Dr. Lednev tested samples of saliva from 30 males and 30 females, using a laboratory based instrument. The samples were correct assessed by the sex of the donor.
In communication with Digital Journal, Dr. Lednev explains: “This was a proof-of-concept study and our findings have successfully proven the usefulness of Raman spectroscopy in determining sex through saliva.”
Based on the success, the academic adds: “We now hope to apply this method using a portable instrument and more realistic samples to simulate crime scene evidence. This could include using traces of saliva deposited onto common substrates.”
The researcher hopes the hand-held units, made available to police services, will be available within the next three to five years. The devices will use a laser to probe samples and provide the supporting data.
The research is published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. The research paper is titled “Sex Determination Based on Raman Spectroscopy of Saliva Traces for Forensic Purposes.”
