Blake, Edward T.

7/31/1945–
AMERICAN
FORENSIC SCIENTIST

For more than thirty years, forensic scientist Edward T. Blake has been considered an expert in DNA analysis. He was the first to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR ) based DNA testing in the United States, during the civil court case People v. Pestinikas in 1986. Since that time, he has worked as a consultant to analyze biological evidence in countless criminal cases, including work that has led to the exoneration of approximately fifty people wrongly accused of crimes.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Blake early on was interested in the field of forensic science . He attended University of California, Berkeley (UCB), earning a bachelor's degree in criminalistics in 1968 and a doctorate of criminology in 1976. While in school, Blake worked at the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Criminalistics Laboratory, and served as a teaching assistant in the Forensic Science Program at UCB. After graduation, he immediately began his work as a consultant in forensic biology, and eventually opened his own consulting firm, Forensic Science Associates, in 1978.

With Forensic Science Associates, Blake conducts independent analysis of DNA and crime scenes, analyzing biological evidence such as saliva , blood , and semen . This analysis can take months, if not years, to perform. But through the use of PCR-based DNA testing, analysts can identify a genetic profile with incredible accuracy. While much of the work is conducted before or during a criminal trial, Blake's firm has earned national recognition as a source of post-conviction testing as well. As an advisor and consultant, Blake has taken part in hundreds of court cases, including such high-profile cases as the O.J. Simpson trial in California.

Since the 1970s, Blake has also been a regular contributor to many trade publications, including the American Journal of Human Genetics, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Forensic Science, and the Banbury Report. He has often written about the topics of genetic markers, DNA analysis, and PCR-based testing. He has also frequently spoken at conferences and seminars held by key professional societies and organizations, including the California Association of Criminologists, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences , and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

see also DNA evidence, cases of exoneration; PCR (polymerase chain reaction).