It was 9:05 a.m. on Monday, September 10, 1984.Alec Jeffreys– later named Sir, one of the highest distinctions to which one can aspire to in the UK – he clearly remembers the moment that changed his life. At the same time that his would change that of many other people around the world.25 years have passed since the discovery of the DNA test, which identifies thegene fingerprintthat makes each individual unique, and that has made it possible to clarify immigration and paternity problems, absolve people of death sentences and solve crimes and violations. VERY INTERESTING he chatted with Sir Alec Jeffreys to learn first-hand the significance of this fascinating discovery.
-He says he remembers perfectly the moment that changed his life. What happened that morning in September?
-We were conducting basic research on human genetic material and, as it changed from one person to another, we discovered by chance a region of DNA that was enormously variable. In line with this, we invented a method to be able to see many of these genetic sequences simultaneously.By sheer accident we created what proved to be humanity’s first genetic fingerprint.
“So your foray into the forensic world was serendipitous, that is, by pure fluke?”
-My forensic prospects at 8:55 that morning were absolutely nil, they just didn’t exist. We were working with DNA, but for very different reasons. Our interest was medical genetics, and the last idea on our mind was to be able to stop criminals using the molecule of heredity. The technology came first and then we thought about the implications and its applications, but not the other way around.
-How exactly did it happen?
? We were working on detecting genetic differences at the molecular level. We found that there were regions within the genome that consisted of small DNA sequences repeated over and over again, and the number of repeats varied between individuals. When looking at a kind of blur through the X-rays I realized that there was something similar to a kind of confusing barcode; that was the gene imprint of my technician Jenny Foxon and her parents. It was very blurry, but it was still easy to see how Jenny’s footprint consisted of a combination of her mother and father, but was unique at the same time. Within seconds I realized that I had stumbled upon a DNA-based identification method that could be used not only for biological identification, but to elucidate all kinds of family relationships.
-It didn’t take long to see the consequences of his finding …
-An hour after the discovery, my colleague Victoria Wilson and I made a kind of shopping list with the basic applications in which the test could be used: paternity disputes, identification of DNA found in places where they have been perpetrated crimes -although the recovery of genetic samples at that time posed problems-, identification of twin brothers -they share the same genetic fingerprint-, and applications related to non-human environments, such as biological conservation and control of biodiversity. The only thing that escaped us was the issues related to immigration, something that my wife suggested to me that very night.
-But, as the saying goes, from the saying to the fact there is a stretch. Was this your case?
-Surprisingly, the application of the finding to real practical situations was not long in coming. At first we thought it would take years for the test to be used, but eight months later it was applied for the first time to prevent a child from being deported so that he could enter the UK to be reunited with his family. Soon after, the gene fingerprint was used to solve the first paternity case , and a year later, in 1986, it was used in the first investigation to determine the innocence of a young man accused of a rape he had not committed. The DNA test served to find the real culprit.
? Your “DNI of DNA” is a good example of how science is put at the service of the general interest …
-We do not know for sure how many DNA tests have been carried out to date, but we estimate that it could be more than ten million. Whether it is someone trying to prove that little Jim is his son, or someone who is acquitted of a death sentence, or a serial killer who is captured, or an immigrant family reunited, each of those evidence hides a human story and drama.
-I imagine that in these 25 years you will have experienced many moments of great emotion. Any that you remember with particular enthusiasm?
-Yes, the first case that I have already referred to. He was present at the time when the Immigration Court informed the mother that the case against her son had been dismissed due to the evidence provided by the DNA. I will never forget the look in that mother’s eyes … It was a very special moment. In that instant I realized that it transcended the purely scientific and went much further.
-The footprint has also been the protagonist of historical milestones …
-Yes, the DNA test has also served to identify the body of the Nazi criminal Josef Mengele; to authenticate the first cloning of a mammal in history, which resulted in thedolly sheep; the forinvestigate the impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accidentin the DNA of future generations.
-How has your genetic testing technology changed in this time?
-It has evolved dramatically. At the end of the 1980s, a DNA amplification technique appeared – the so-calledPolymerase chain reaction(PCR) -, which allows analysis with very small samples. This led to a system that makes it possible to save and archive DNA tests very easily, automatically. It is a very powerful technology, which is used all over the world. This has allowed us to createa worldwide database that stores the DNA of convicted criminals. The idea is that if they commit a crime and leave genetic traces at the scene of that crime, they can be caught very quickly.
– Until now he has shown us the friendly face of the find. Something to say against him?
-My biggest concern at the moment is that in the UK we have an immense base with the genetic profile of five million people. Of these, there are about 800,000 who are innocent; that is, they have never been convicted of any type of incident. If the police arrest you in Britain, they may ask you to take a DNA test, and that information is stored in the database. The European Court of Human Rights has declared that this practice is illegal, but my Government has not yet spoken out about it and has not removed this information from the genetic file. Therefore, we are the only country in the world where a person who is innocent is classified as a future criminal, and that worries me very much. However, I hope that sooner or later the situation will change.
-What has had the greatest impact on your life: the paternity of the genetic footprint or the many awards you have received and the fact of being appointed Sir of the British Crown?
-All the awards and recognitions that have been given to me have created the existence of two Alec Jeffreys. There’s the one you can see sitting across from you, scruffy, enjoying getting his hands dirty and just doing science, and then there’s my mythical self. Of course, the latter has to be very old, with a very long beard and absolutely terrifying. In fact, the power of my mythical self has grown to such an extent that I sometimes find people who literally show up shaking the first time they meet me, which is totally ridiculous. I have not changed over the years, nor has it gone to my head, but sometimes I find this part tremendously annoying because all I want to do is keep researching and carry out my daily work.
-What part of science do you enjoy the most?
-One of the most interesting and fun things about doing research is not finding what you predict, which is always much more boring. The most exciting thing is discovering things that totally contradict what you assumed. I am very much in favor of fundamental research that does not have a specific purpose; chainless research, powered bycuriosity, whatconstitutes the ultimate engine of all scientific and technological evolution. There is currently a lot of research aimed at solving the known unknown obvious problems. Although I think this is very important, it is also important to solve problems that one did not know and did not even imagine existed. And this is the responsibility of the public sector, because industry is less likely to engage on these issues. Answering questions that you don’t know existed is much more exciting and, for me, infinitely more valuable, because these now totally unknown questions will mark the agenda in the future. A country that loses or stops doing this type of research assumes its own risk.
-It seems like a veiled threat …
-In our society there is an educational vacuum that has to explain why science that seems to have no application or no sense triggers a revolution ten years later. Yes, this means that taxpayer money is going to be wasted, but if, out of every hundred projects that are financed, one emerges that really creates impact, the benefits that it provides will exceed the expenses.
Patricia Moon
