The Emerging Role of Circular Ribonucleic Acids in Forensic Science: A Mini-Review

Circular ribonucleic acids (circRNAs), a class of noncoding RNAs characterized by their covalently closed loop structure, have gained significant attention across diverse scientific disciplines, particularly in forensic science. Their exceptional stability, tissue-specific expression patterns, and inherent resistance to degradation make them promising biomarkers for various forensic applications. This mini-review comprehensively summarizes current research on circRNAs in forensic science, covering their utility in body fluid or tissue identification, postmortem interval estimation, cause of death determination, toxicology, and forensic psychiatry. It critically evaluates current methodologies, highlights key findings, and discusses the significant limitations and analytical challenges that currently constrain research in this burgeoning field. Finally, crucial future research directions are outlined to overcome these obstacles and unlock the full forensic potential of circRNAs.