Genetic fingerprinting: past, present and future - Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys
Wednesday 24 November 2010, 18:00 until 20:00
Open to all
Location
Main Lecture Theatre, Clerici building, Headington Campus / Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane site
Details
Life Sciences Annual Research Lecture
DNA fingerprinting, invented by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys in 1984, has revolutionised many areas of biology, most notably in forensic and legal medicine. Professor Sir Alec will describe how DNA fingerprinting works, how it was first moved into casework and how the technology has evolved over the years, enabling the creation of major national DNA databases that are proving extraordinarily effective in the fight against crime. He will also discuss some of the social and ethical issues surrounding forensic DNA analysis, and will look at how the science of human DNA identification might progress in the future.
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys developed techniques for DNA fingerprinting and DNA profiling which are now used all over the world in forensic science to assist police detection work, and also to resolve paternity and immigration disputes. His work has been recognised by numerous awards including a knighthood, the Royal Medal of the Royal Society, the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award and the Dr HP Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics.
