Concordance study between PowerPlex® ESI 16 Fast Kit and Investigator® 24plex GO! Kit

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Human Identification
• Genetics

Background:

• Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis is crucial for forensic human identification.
• Comparing STR multiplex kits is essential for data consistency and database transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate allele call concordance between the PowerPlex® ESI 16 Fast and Investigator®24plex GO! Kits.
• To assess the reliability of the Investigator®24plex GO! Kit for forensic applications.

Main Methods:

• A concordance study using 2000 buccal samples on FTA cards.
• Re-analysis of samples typed with PowerPlex® ESI 16 Fast using the Investigator®24plex GO! Kit.
• Discordance investigation via repeat amplification and sequencing.

Main Results:

• An overall concordance rate of 99.982% was achieved.
• Eleven discordant alleles were identified, including allelic dropout, allele shifts, and one mismatch.
• All discordances were confirmed through repeat testing and sequencing.

Conclusions:

• The Investigator®24plex GO! Kit demonstrates high reliability and concordance with the PowerPlex® ESI 16 Fast Kit.
• This supports the use of the Investigator®24plex GO! Kit for forensic reference databasing.
• A confident transition between these STR typing kits is feasible.