The Forensic Value of Electrospun Nanofiber Meshes in Sexual Assault Samples

Abstract

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 323,450 rapes/sexual assaults took place in 2016. The current methodology for separating the DNA of the perpetrator from that of the victim is the same methodology originally described in 1985. It is the current standard for sexual assault cases. That is not to say, however, that it is without weaknesses. It is labor-intensive; some sample is lost during the washes; and carryover occurs between the male and female fractions. The goal of this research is to accomplish the development of an electrospun nanofiber mesh with proper dimensions and adequate strength to separate sperm cells from epithelial cells based on size, not chemical composition, without lysing the cells in the process. Accomplishing a successful mechanism for doing so would result in cleaner differential extraction results, and therefore, cleaner profiles for a DNA analyst to interpret. This would eliminate the subjectivity associated with current analysis and interpretation due to the carryover between the male and female fractions. This would ultimately give electrospun nanofiber meshes relevance within the field of Forensic Science with the goal of assisting in determining the perpetrators in the hundreds of thousands of sexual assaults that occur annually within the United States.