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Antibodies are host proteins that are produced by the immune system in response to foreign molecules that enter the body. These foreign molecules are called antigens, and their molecular recognition by the immune system results in selective production of antibodies that are able to bind the specific antigen. Antibodies are made by B lymphocytes and circulate throughout the blood and lymph where they bind to their specific antigen, enabling it to be cleared from circulation.

This ability of animal immune systems to produce antibodies capable of binding specifically to antigens can be harnessed to manufacture probes for detection of molecules of interest in a variety of research and diagnostic applications. No other current technology allows researchers to design and manufacture such highly specific molecular recognition tools. In addition to th ... Read more »

DNA technology is increasingly vital to ensuring accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system.  DNA can be used to identify criminals with incredible accuracy when biological evidence exists, and DNA can be used to clear suspects and exonerate persons mistakenly accused or convicted of crimes.

The current federal and state DNA collection and analysis system needs improvement.  In many instances, public crime labs are overwhelmed by backlogs of unanalyzed DNA samples. In addition, these labs may be ill-equipped to handle the increasing influx of DNA samples and evidence.  The problems of backlogs and the lack of up-to-date technology result in significant delays in the administration of justice.  More research is needed to develop faster methods for analyzing DNA evidenc ... Read more »