Scientists create cutting-edge DNA tool to predict a person’s age, origin

LONDON

A team of European researchers, including scientists from Poland’s Jagiellonian University and the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police in Warsaw, has helped create a powerful new forensic tool capable of predicting a person’s age and other traits from DNA with remarkable accuracy.

The international project, known as VISAGE (Visible Attributes through Genomics), brought together experts from more than a dozen institutions across Europe.

Dr. Ewelina Pospiech, a professor at Poland’s Pomeranian Medical University and former Jagiellonian University researcher, took part in the project and described it as a “major success for Poland,” according to broadcaster TVP World.

“The tool it generated is currently being tested and validated worldwide. This is truly a significant achievement,” she said.

According to Pospiech: “The project aimed to develop methods that would allow it to predict various human characteristics with high accuracy, such as appearance, biogeographical origin and age based on DNA.”

The forensic breakthrough relies on a chemical process known as DNA methylation, in which methyl group compounds are added to DNA strands to alter gene activity -- a process that changes with age.

Although similar techniques have been in use since 2011, Pospiech told Polish state news agency PAP that they are not always effective in police investigations because biological samples are often small or damaged.

The VISAGE project has produced a more precise model through laboratory and software analysis. The new tool can estimate a person’s age with a margin of error of three years or less.

“The more precisely the age of the person from whom the sample originates can be determined, the more the pool of suspects is narrowed,” Pospiech said.

LONDON

The international project, known as VISAGE (Visible Attributes through Genomics), brought together experts from more than a dozen institutions across Europe.

“The tool it generated is currently being tested and validated worldwide. This is truly a significant achievement,” she said.

The forensic breakthrough relies on a chemical process known as DNA methylation, in which methyl group compounds are added to DNA strands to alter gene activity -- a process that changes with age.

The VISAGE project has produced a more precise model through laboratory and software analysis. The new tool can estimate a person’s age with a margin of error of three years or less.

“The more precisely the age of the person from whom the sample originates can be determined, the more the pool of suspects is narrowed,” Pospiech said.