Flow Cytometry, An Emerging Technique for Biological Evidence Evaluation : A Review

Biological evidences are the most commonly encountered physical evidence at the scene of crime. The term “biological evidence” covers a broad range of physical evidence, including hairs, bodily fluids, tissues, and bones, among others. Being a source for both genetic and non-genetic information, they play a vital role in a criminal investigation. Their presence at a crime scene not only aids in the individualization of the donor but also in the reconstruction of the crime scene, thereby leading the investigation in the right direction. With the scientific and technological advancement, the forensic analysis of the biological evidence has witnessed manifold developments. One such approach is flow cytometric technique based on the analysis of a single cell in a complex cellular population. Although this technique is not new to the forensic domain, the improvements in this technique in the past decades have mitigated the limitations which hindered its incorporation in the forensic domain. However, limited literature related to the application of flow cytometric technique for the analysis of the biological evidence, is available. This study provides a review of the application of Flow cytometry in the analysis of biological evidence to pool all the available data so that the lacuna in the literature can be addressed.