Sheffield Hallam University has indicated that the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology is interested in the university’s research on fingermarks detection technology. The Home Office is co-funding a £80,000 Ph.D. studentship with the University’s Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC) to allow for further testing. It is hoped that the technology will be incorporated into standard police investigation within a few years.

The new technology uses Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI) to provide crime scene investigators with key extra details about suspects; such as any substances they might have touched, can provide crucial background information in a criminal investigation.

The new technology uses MALDI-MSI for the first time to produce multiple images of fingermarks that can provide extra information on a suspect. A fingermark is made up of material from the surface of the skin and from gland secretions. Conventionally, fingermarks found at the scene of a crime are lifted, often using a powder, and are compared with prints on a police database to identify a suspect.