Science in the City: The Hamilton Spectator's Steve Buist interviews John Waye

John Waye

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Christine Wilson

Sarah Dickson

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John Waye

The following article is reprinted courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator, McMaster University’s partner in the Science in the City Lecture Series.

Sep. 13, 12:53 EDT
Huge progress in profiling
DNA: From Crime Scene to Courtroom kicks off lecture series
Steve Buist
The Hamilton Spectator

A discarded coffee cup, a cigarette butt, even a postage stamp that's been licked.

All seem innocent enough, yet each of these pieces of evidence can provide enough genetic material through saliva to determine the guilt of a murderer in our midst, thanks to advances in DNA analysis.

"If you lick a postage stamp, smoke a cigarette, bring a coffee cup up to your lips, there's usually a better than fair chance that you're going to be able to get a complete (DNA) profile from that," said Dr. John Waye, a professor in McMaster University's department of pathology and molecular medicine.

"Fifteen years ago it would have been very difficult to get even a partial profile from that sort of thing, but the technology has changed so much that it's not a real big deal."

Waye, who specializes in human genetics, will deliver a talk entitled, DNA: From Crime Scene to Courtroom, Tuesday night in the Spectator auditorium to kick off a new season of the Science in the City lecture series.

The event is sponsored jointly by McMaster and The Spectator.

Saliva, he notes, "is a pretty good source of DNA.

"We're sloughing off cells from the inside of our mouth all the time," he adds, "so even though saliva is a fluid, it contains lots of cells that are sloughed off the inside of your cheek."

With today's advanced technology, a DNA profile can be compiled from a sample containing as few as 100 to 1,000 cells.

That may sound like a lot, Waye said, "but that's a very, very small amount of material.

"A hundred cells is a blood splatter that you can't even see because it's so small," he added. "People have gotten very creative about knowing where to look now.

"You don't leave too many stones unturned at a crime scene investigation."

In fact, police have thought of ingenious ways to gather DNA evidence from suspects

A shirt collar may have cells rubbed off from the neck, the lining of pants' pockets may have cells sloughed off from someone's hands - even shoelaces may hold enough cells to establish a DNA profile.

Waye's lecture will look at the evolution of DNA profiling in its short history as an investigative tool, using actual case histories as examples.

It's only been 16 years since DNA profiling was first used to successfully obtain a conviction -- a 1987 rape case in England.

Ironically, one year earlier, DNA profiling had been used for the very first time by a professor in England, and he showed that a prime suspect in two murders could not have committed the crimes.

Waye has been at the forefront of DNA profiling in Canada from its infancy.

After graduating in genetics from the University of Toronto, Waye joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1988 to help develop a DNA typing program for the police agency.

He has testified in a number of "firsts" for DNA profiling in Canadian court cases -- the first rape case, the first murder case -- as well as some high-profile cases, such as New Brunswick murderer Allan Legere and wrongly convicted Guy Paul Morin.

"I don't get too far away from it," said Waye. "I'm always consulting on various cases.

"It's maintained a presence in my life -- at least in the evenings. It's sort of a hobby."

He also admits that he's a keen fan of shows such as A&E's Cold Case Files and American Justice, in which DNA evidence often plays a critical role.

"In a lot of cases, I know the people who are involved in them," said Waye.

"I've met them socially or at various meetings, so it's interesting to watch the case."

Waye is also head of the Molecular Diagnostic Genetics Service of the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, which uses DNA technology to diagnose certain genetic diseases.

"You can now look at a person's DNA and make all sorts of predictions about their future health and about their present health based on their genes," said Waye.

Tuesday's lecture is free of charge and open to the public.

To register for a spot, call 905-525-9140, ext. 24934, or via e-mail at sciencecity@mcmaster.ca.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the session begins at 7 p.m.