ADP Forensic Evidence Department identifies DNA typing of archeological bone

The Forensic Evidence Department at Abu Dhabi Police has announced that it has succeeded in achieving a complete DNA profile match of two bone powder samples. One of the samples is approximately 400 years, the second dates back some 150 years. The Forensic Evidence Department at Abu Dhabi Police was one of only three out of 18 laboratories around the world to have correctly matched both samples.
Tests were conducted at the Faculty of Medicine at Charles University, in collaboration with the Forensic DNA Service Institute, FDNAS, and other international forensic research institutes in Prague, Czech Republic.
Brigadier Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, Head of the Forensic Evidence Department, said that both samples were collected from archaeological excavations and provided by the National Museum and Institute of Archaeology in Prague. He also noted that based on burial pattern and archeological artifacts discovered in the excavation site, the samples are estimated to be 150-400 years old.
He also explained that the tests were conducted by examiners from the Forensic Biology Laboratory of the Forensic Evidence Department at Abu Dhabi Police, which enjoys a prestigious reputation as one of the most sophisticated laboratories in the region and includes an elite team of highly trained and certified experts and professionals.
Lieutenant Ahmad Anwar Al Afifi, Forensic Evidence technician, said that the case study was designed to test the efficiency of old bone sample analysis at various forensic laboratories worldwide. The laboratories were asked to conduct DNA profiling from two different bone powder samples, dating back 150 years and 400 years respectively.
Lieutenant Al Affifi also noted that all participating laboratories achieved a 100% match of the DNA profile on the first sample; however, identifying the DNA profile of the second sample that dates back 400 years represented a considerable challenge.
Elaborating on the case, Lieutenant Al Affifi indicated that according to the test results, 13 laboratories had identified the complete DNA profile of the first sample, and was a match to the DNA typing stored in their database. Three laboratories, including the Forensic Biology Laboratory of the Forensic Evidence Department at Abu Dhabi Police, were able to achieve 100% match of the DNA profile of both samples. This proves the high-end quality of performance of the laboratory in conducting such tests, and positions the lab among the world’s most advanced laboratories, as one of only three laboratories that achieved a 100% match DNA profile on the second sample.
In conclusion, Lieutenant Al Affifi said that this achievement is a prestigious addition to the record of the Forensic Evidence Laboratory at Abu Dhabi Police, and proves its readiness to conduct such globally recognized tests.