UZ Leuven and KU Leuven have developed a groundbreaking technique to identify perpetrators of sexual assault in cases previously deemed unsolvable.
When a victim reports a sexual assault, DNA samples often contain a mixture of cells from both the victim and the perpetrator.
When the perpetrator's cells are sparse, current standard techniques make it impossible to simpossible to establish an accurate DNA profile.
This challenge is particularly acute in cases where victims report the assault days after it occurred.
Researchers in Leuven have introduced a cell-sorting method using fluorescence-assisted technology (FACS), which can identify and isolate individual cells.
A specialised liquid selectively colours the perpetrator's cells. These cells are then filtered through a high-precision sorting machine developed by KU Leuven, which detects the luminescent cells and extracts them one by one. This ensures the complete separation of the perpetrator's DNA from the victim's.
The method remains effective even when the ratio is as extreme as 7,500 victim cells to one perpetrator cell.
Unlike existing techniques, which struggle to retrieve usable male DNA beyond 48 hours, the new technology can establish DNA profiles up to five days after the assault.
