Forensic Epigenetic Analysis: The Path Ahead.

Unlike DNA fingerprinting which scores for differences in the genome that are phenotype neutral, epigenetic variations are gaining importance in forensic investigations. Methylation of DNA has a broad range of effects on the lifestyle, health status and physical appearance of individuals. DNA methylation profiling of forensic samples is useful in the determination of the cell or tissue type of DNA source and also for estimation of age. The quality and quantity of biosample available from crime scene limits the possible number of DNA methylation tests and also selection of the technology that can be used. Several techniques have been used for DNA methylation analysis for epigenetic investigations of forensic biological samples. However, novel techniques are needed for multiplex analysis of epigenetic markers as the techniques currently available require a large amount of high-quality DNA and are also limited in their multiplexing capacities that are often insufficient to fully resolve a forensic query of interest.