STTR Phase I: Body fluid identification for forensic purposes using Raman spectroscopy

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project proposes to develop the first universal method for non-destructive, confirmatory identification of all main bodily fluids in biological stains revealed at a crime, overcoming the limitations of standard biochemical tests when identifying biological stains. The proposed technology will allow for rapid, accurate and nondestructive identification of, and distinction between, biological stains that supports the possibility of linking DNA to a bodily fluid type, thus increasing the efficiency of crime labs and assisting law enforcement personnel in the identification of suspected criminals. Commercially, this technology will be of use to the 600+ Crime Investigation Labs and 19,000+ crime scene investigators within the U.S. Department of Justice. The new approach has the potential to reduce the backlog of unprocessed DNA samples in crime labs across the U.S., while providing data that can improve the efficiency of evidence analyses. This analysis platform has the potential to significantly advance the field of crime scene analysis by replacing single body fluid-specific chemical tests, that are inaccurate and destructive in nature, with software that offers the novel ability to positively identify all bodily fluids in order to generate real-time decisions regarding sample content and further analyses. The project will establish proof-of-principle through the optimization of a Raman spectroscopy method for a desktop instrument while further developing software for realistic body fluid sampling. This will allow for the development of a working prototype for crime laboratory usage. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.