@misc{10481/32448,
year = {2001},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/32448},
abstract = {In 1999, Spain was the first country to officially start a National Program to try to identify cadavers and human remains
which could not be identified by the use of traditional forensic approaches. This attempt is called “Phoenix Program”.
Two independent mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) databases were generated, which can automatically compare and
match identical or similar sequences. One is the Reference Database, with mtDNA sequences from maternal relatives
of missing persons, who provide the samples (buccal swabs) voluntarily; the other is the Questioned Database, comprised
ofmtDNAdata of unknown remains and cadavers. Although the first phase of the program (typing of all unidentified
human remains) will probably not be completed until December 2003, positive identifications are being made in
the interim. To date, more than 1,200 families have contacted Phoenix, and at least 280 reference samples and 48
questioned evidences have been analyzed. When mtDNA matches are found, another independent analysis is performed
as a part of the quality control mechanism. Once a match is confirmed (so far in 6 cases), an attempt is made to
analyze short tandem repeat (STR) loci.Wecall for international collaboration to make this effort valuable worldwide.},
organization = {We acknowledge the nine Spanish Foundations supporting this program (BBV, Caja Madrid, Endesa, Juan March, Marcelino Botín, Pedro Barrié de la Maza, Ramón Areces, Tabacalera, and Telefónica). Spanish Ministry of Education and Science supports the research on minimal amounts of DNA through the project
PM97-0175.},
publisher = {Medicinska Naklada},
keywords = {DNA},
keywords = {Mitochondrial},
keywords = {Fluorescent probes},
keywords = {Forensic medicine},
keywords = {Polymerase chain reaction},
keywords = {Polymorphism},
keywords = {Restriction fragment length},
keywords = {Spain},
keywords = {United States},
title = {Identification of missing persons: The Spanish "Phoenix" Program},
author = {Lorente Acosta, José Antonio and Entrala, Carmen and Álvarez Merino, Juan Carlos and Arce, Blanca and Heinrichs, Beatriz and Lorente Acosta, Miguel and Carrasco, Felíx and Budowle, Bruce and Villanueva Cañadas, Enrique},
}