Introduction to Developing Genetic Markers for Animal and Plant Traces

Molecular Resources in Non-Human Forensics: from Wildlife to eDNA

Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty Hospital Bulovka, Charles University, Prague 8

You can attend the Conference without the Workshop, but you cannot attend the Workshop without the Conference. The Conference forms an integral part of the Workshop.

This is an optional workshop in the Doctoral Network.

Tuesday, 29 April 2025 – Daniel Vaněk

  • The best practices for sample preservation and short and long-term storage

  • Field sampling and testing (Bento mobile laboratory and Salux 19)

  • Rapid preliminary testing of exhibits of unknown origin

  • DNA extraction strategies for different animal artifacts, the removal of inhibitors

  • Laboratory set-up, LIMS (Laboratory Information and Management Systém)

  • ISO norms

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 – Daniel Vaněk

  • DNA quantitation (specific and non-specific)

  • Species identification (Sanger, NGS, fragment analysis, qPCR)

  • The current recommendations for animal DNA forensics

  • Individual DNA identification of animal samples

  • DNA databasing, statistical evaluation

  • Case documents, reporting the results, expert testimony

  • Addressing the problematic areas: inbreeding, hybrids, population data, reference samples, combined human, and non-human analysis, CITES legal restrictions

Thursday, 1 May 2025 – Balázs Egyed, Henk Braig

  • Sampling and preservation of plant materials for forensic identification (dried and fresh remains, minimum traces, pollens etc.)

  • From morphology (microscopy) to molecular investigations, specific DNA extraction methods

  • Laser microdissection for obtaining DNA

  • Taxonomical identification of plants (DNA barcodes, PCR and Sanger, NGS, DNA alignment)

  • Molecular reference databases and search (BOLD, GenBank, PlantGDB), statistical evaluation

  • Whole genome amplification methods in trace analysis, metagenome and long-read DNA sequencing (pros and cons)

Friday, 2 May 2025 – Henk Braig, Balázs Egyed

  • enviromental DNA in forensics

  • eDNA analytical methods: metabarcoding, whole genome, NGS vs. long-read

  • forensic DNA applications for microbial, fungal, …, and diatom traces

  • mRNA and microRNA in forensics

  • Air forensics