Uncovering Forensic Evidence: A Path to Age Estimation through DNA Methylation

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2024

Abstract

Age estimation is a critical aspect of reconstructing a biological profile in forensic sciences. Diverse biochemical processes have been studied in their correlation with age, and the results have driven DNA methylation to the forefront as a promising biomarker. DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification, has been extensively studied in recent years for developing age estimation models in criminalistics and forensic anthropology. Epigenetic clocks, which analyze DNA sites undergoing hypermethylation or hypomethylation as individuals age, have paved the way for improved prediction models. A wide range of biomarkers and methods for DNA methylation analysis have been proposed, achieving different accuracies across samples and cell types. This review extensively explores literature from the past 5 years, showing scientific efforts toward the ultimate goal: applying age prediction models to assist in human identification.

Identifier

85192785773 (Scopus)

Publication Title

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094917

e-ISSN

14220067

ISSN

16616596

PubMed ID

38732129

Issue

9

Volume

25

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