This study evaluated whether the increased sensitivity in technologies implemented by forensic laboratories to increase the likelihood of obtaining results from low-template/low-quality “touch” DNA forensic samples could lead to the detection of interpretable secondary DNA transfer profiles. Secondary transfer occurs when DNA is transferred from one object or person to another via an intermediate object/person. Secondary DNA transfer should be a concern for forensic DNA analysts because (i) it could falsely link someone to a crime; (ii) it could introduce extraneous DNA, or foreign DNA, into a forensic sample; and (iii) it could lead analysts and other medicolegal professionals to falsely conclude that DNA left on an object is a result of direct contact.

The Technical Note will appear in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, but it available online.

Results from this study were presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, February 17-22, 2014, in Seattle, WA.

Cynthia also wrote an opinion piece related to the research project mentioned above for Nature in the op-ed column, World View, which appeared in the October 29, 2015 issue of Nature.