Molecular Updates and Applications in Forensic Medicine
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2025 | Viewed by 1364
Special Issue Editor
Interests: forensic and biological sciences; DNA mixture interpretation; body fluid identification; DNA methylation; age prediction; ancestry; DNA phenotyping; activity level; DNA transfer
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Molecular sciences have been providing valuable support to police investigations, medico-legal applications, and both civil and criminal proceedings. Despite their conservative nature—related to their auxiliary role in the justice system—the molecular disciplines have undergone a vast evolution in terms of available methodologies, and an increasingly substantial body of knowledge. DNA typing techniques, such as high-throughput sequencing and rapid sequencing, have been considered the golden standard for individual identification, familial searching, and animal and plant forensics thus far. The development and routine implementation of other techniques, such as transcriptomics technologies, microbiome analysis, environmental DNA analysis, molecular pathology, etc., have greatly expanded the range of retrieval information in complex cases. Furthermore, the increasing emphasis on contextualising DNA evidence has resulted in advancements in identifying body fluids, DNA phenotyping, estimating biological age and ancestry, dating of wounds, and analysing soil and microbiomes to estimate the time of death, to cite a few. This trend of innovation is combined with developments in bioinformatics, probabilistic genotyping software and statistical assessments, as in the case of evaluation at the activity level and sensitivity analysis. However, it is important to consider ethical implications alongside these scientific advancements coupled with the increasing integration of artificial intelligence in forensic sciences.
This Special Issue aims to present the current state-of-the-art molecular biology methodologies. It also intends to showcase original research advancements in the field along with their ethical and social aspects.
Dr. Eugenia Carnevali
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- forensic genetics
- forensic transcriptomics
- mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
- next-generation sequencing (NGS)
- body fluid identification
- environmental DNA analysis
- forensic entomology
- animal and plant forensics
- forensic microbiology
- paternity testing
- time of death
- advanced molecular autopsy
- disaster victim identification (DVI)
- ancient DNA
- biological age prediction
- DNA phenotyping
- ancestry
- investigative genetic genealogy
- ethics in forensic genetics
- criminal database
- DNA mixture interpretation
- activity level
- forensic bioinformatics
- artificial intelligence
- quality assurance
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
