Welkom op de website van de afdeling Forensische Moleculaire Biologie

The Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, established 2004, is a joined initiative of the Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), the Erasmus University, and the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). We are using state-of-art technologies in genetics, genomics, and proteomics to answer questions in human molecular biology and human molecular genetics that are of fundamental scientific interest and in addition provide potential applications to forensic sciences.

Research topics are initiated by more current issues in forensic molecular biology such as the identification of the type of tissue and the age of a sample found at the crime scene, or the identification and interpretation of a male component using Y chromosome genetic information, or the identification of the geographic ancestry of an unknown DNA sample using genetic information, but also by more future issues such as the potential use of genetic information that indirectly or directly allows prediction of externally visible characteristics of humans.

Another line of research is focussing on lethal disorders with limited knowledge about the underlying biology / genetics as well as limited diagnostic tools where we aim to find and better understand genetic factors influencing such disorder but also to develop new diagnostics tools for  molecular autopsy. In addition, we use human genetic variation to investigate relationships, origins and migration history of human populations and are interested in footprints of local adaptation and natural selection in the human genome.   Prof. M. Kayser is member of the post-graduate research school "Medical Genetics Centre South-West Netherlands" (MGC) and member of the Erasmus MC Master of Science research program "Molecular Medicine".