Forensic Timing of Bruises: Multimodal Analysis (FORTIMA)

FORTIMA develops a biologically grounded, multimodal framework for estimating bruise age with explicit uncertainty, based on prospectively sampled human forensic material.

Estimating the age of bruises remains a major unresolved challenge in forensic medicine. Current practice relies largely on subjective visual assessment, while existing histological and molecular approaches have not demonstrated sufficient reproducibility or temporal precision for routine use. FORTIMA addresses this limitation by developing a unified, biology-based framework for bruise ageing. The project integrates histological features, molecular responses, and quantitative imaging data from systematically sampled human bruises with verified or tightly constrained injury times. Rather than relying on single markers, the approach models the combined temporal behaviour of multiple biological processes. The study is based on a prospectively collected forensic biobank, enabling direct analysis of how tissue structure, inflammatory responses, gene expression, and protein profiles evolve over time following injury. A central objective is to quantify and explicitly model biological variability related to anatomical location, individual factors, and postmortem conditions. Data are analysed using interpretable statistical and Bayesian models to estimate bruise age with explicit uncertainty. The goal is not only to improve temporal estimation, but to identify which biological signals carry reliable time information, and under which conditions they break down. By integrating multiple data modalities within a transparent analytical framework, the project aims to move bruise-age estimation from subjective judgement toward reproducible, evidence-based inference with defined uncertainty. This has direct relevance for forensic casework, particularly in contexts such as interpersonal violence and child protection.