UNAIR NEWS – Prof Dr dr Ahmad Yudianto SpFM (K) SH MKes was officially inaugurated as a professor at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. Prof Ahmad became 120th active professor of UNAIR Faculty of Medicine, 552nd since UNAIR’s establishment, and 260th since UNAIR became a Legal Entity State University (PTN-BH).
Prof Ahmad was inaugurated as a professor in Forensic Medicine and Medicolegal. He gave a scientific oration on ‘Forensic Identification on Mass Disasters and Crime in Indonesia Through Sibling DNA and Cell-Free Fetal DNA’ in which he underlined the importance of disaster victim identification.
“Personal identification is an issue in the criminal or civil case. Determining the personal identity is a crucial part of an investigation as any error may lead to fatal consequences in the judicial process,” said Prof Ahmad.
Personal identification and DNA analysis
“Personal identification with DNA analysis utilizes DNA as the examination material based on nucleotide polymorphisms, a DNA repeated sequence. Personal identification through DNA analysis is an accurate diagnostic tool in the forensic field,” explained Prof Ahmad.
However, personal identification with DNA analysis frequently faces obstacles in material conditions or specimen degradation. Besides, the incomplete information from the parents also becomes another problem. In this case, the kinship analysis from the siblings can be an alternative.
Sibling DNA and Cell-Free Fetal DNA
Allele sharing, Prof Ahmad stated, plays an essential role in sibling analysis. “The kinship analysis for personal identification is not a hundred percent accurate. Sibling, theoretically, only has 25 percent of two allele probabilities, just like the inaccuracy or no allele at all,” he said.
Due to the inaccuracy of the sibling analysis, Prof Ahmad believes that other markers for personal identification are required, such as mitochondrial DNA.
Furthermore, he explained further that cell-free fetal DNA is the DNA cell nuclear. “The nuclear in fetal free shows the DNA satellite which contains short tandem repeat (STR). STR is a fusion of DNA from father and mother, according to Mendel’s law. So the use of cell-fetal free DNA is a non-invasive method in identifying a criminal act, such as allegations of incest, sexual violence, and cases of child neglect,” Prof Ahmad explained.
The sibling analysis and cell-free fetal DNA are expected to help the forensic identification processes in mass disasters and criminal acts to help the related parties make the correct decisions.
Author: Tristania Faisa Adam
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
