It's all relative: A multi-generational study using ForenSeq™ Kintelligence

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Genetics
• Genealogy

Background:

• Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) is increasingly used for identifying unknown individuals and criminal suspects.
• Traditional FIGG methods require high-quality DNA and large datasets, often unsuitable for degraded forensic samples.
• Existing methods like Whole Genome Array (WGA) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) present challenges with sample input and data management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit for its ability to predict biological relationships in forensic casework.
• To compare the performance of the ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit with a Whole Genome Array (WGA) approach.
• To assess the suitability of the ForenSeq™ Kintelligence workflow for Australian law enforcement agencies.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study was conducted using 12 family members with varying degrees of relatedness.
• DNA samples were analyzed using both the ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit (targeted amplicon sequencing) and a WGA approach (Illumina Global Screening Array-24 v3.0).
• The ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit targets 10,230 SNPs, with 9867 for kinship analysis, designed for low DNA input and degraded samples.

Main Results:

• The ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit correctly identified all expected relationships from first to fifth degree.
• Expected sixth-degree relationships were not detected by the ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit.
• Both methods were compared for accuracy in predicting familial links.

Conclusions:

• The ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit is effective for predicting close familial relationships (1st-5th degree) in forensic investigations.
• This targeted sequencing approach offers a viable alternative for FIGG with challenging forensic samples.
• Findings support Australian agencies in assessing the ForenSeq™ Kintelligence kit's utility for casework.