Comparative Evaluation of Genotyping Technologies for Investigative Genetic Genealogy in Sexual Assault Casework, 2022-2024 (ICPSR 39288)
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Jonathan Davoren, Bode Technology
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Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) offers a capability to identify investigative leads when the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) searching is unproductive. IGG can provide time efficient methods for removing perpetrators of serial violent crimes, such as rape and murder from the community, thereby increasing public safety. However, use of IGG has preceded establishment of best practices. Development of best practices must start with a systematic evaluation of the laboratory technologies currently used to generate high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes. This study evaluated the three technologies currently available for developing high-density SNP genotypes from human DNA samples and compared their abilities to generate profiles from challenging forensic samples related to sexual assault casework across two separate phases to assess. More specifically, this project sought to investigate how low-template DNA (e.g., around 1-2 ng inputs) and highly degraded DNA would affect the quality, accuracy, and reproducibility of high-density SNP genotypes and ultimately affect the performance of IGG to identify potential relatives in the GEDmatch PRO database, a dedicated portal designed to support police and forensic teams with investigative comparisons to GEDmatch data.