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Evaluation of the VISAGE basic tool for appearance and ancestry inference using ForenSeq® chemistry on the MiSeq FGx® system

Xavier, Catarina ; de la Puente, Maria ; Sidstedt, Maja ; Junker, Klara ; Minawi, Angelika ; Unterländer, Martina ; Chantrel, Yann ; Laurent, François Xavier ; Delest, Anna and Hohoff, Carsten , et al. (2022) In Forensic Science International: Genetics 58.
Abstract

The possibility of providing investigative leads when conventional DNA identification methods fail to solve a case can be of extreme relevance to law enforcement. Therefore, the forensic genetics community has focused research towards the broadened use of DNA, particularly for prediction of appearance traits, bio-geographical ancestry and age. The VISible Attributes through GEnomics (VISAGE) Consortium expanded the use of DNA phenotyping by developing new molecular and statistical tools for appearance, age and ancestry prediction. The VISAGE basic tool for appearance (EVC) and ancestry (BGA) prediction was initially developed using Ampliseq chemistry, but here is being evaluated using ForenSeq chemistry. The VISAGE basic tool offers a... (More)

The possibility of providing investigative leads when conventional DNA identification methods fail to solve a case can be of extreme relevance to law enforcement. Therefore, the forensic genetics community has focused research towards the broadened use of DNA, particularly for prediction of appearance traits, bio-geographical ancestry and age. The VISible Attributes through GEnomics (VISAGE) Consortium expanded the use of DNA phenotyping by developing new molecular and statistical tools for appearance, age and ancestry prediction. The VISAGE basic tool for appearance (EVC) and ancestry (BGA) prediction was initially developed using Ampliseq chemistry, but here is being evaluated using ForenSeq chemistry. The VISAGE basic tool offers a total of 41 EVC and 115 BGA SNPs and thus provides more predictions, i.e., skin color, than achieved with the ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep kit that is based on 24 EVC and 56 BGA SNPs. Five VISAGE laboratories participated in collaborative experiments to provide foreground for developmental validation of the assay. Assessment of assay performance and quality metrics, reproducibility, sensitivity, inhibitor tolerance and species specificity are described. Furthermore, the assay was tested using challenging samples such as mock casework samples and artificially degraded DNA. Two different analysis strategies were applied for this study and output on genotype calls and read depth was compared. Overall, inter-laboratory, inter-method and concordance with publicly available data were analysed and compared. Finally, the results showed a reliable and robust tool, which can be easily applied for laboratories already using a MiSeq FGx with ForenSeq reagents.

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publication status
published
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Forensic Science International: Genetics
volume
58
article number
102675
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:35144074
  • scopus:85124217821
ISSN
1872-4973
DOI
10.1016/j.fsigen.2022.102675
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4d248d59-6df7-4a2b-9a13-92ec197f9442
date added to LUP
2022-12-27 13:51:10
date last changed
2024-04-18 17:01:03
@article{4d248d59-6df7-4a2b-9a13-92ec197f9442,
  abstract     = {{<p>The possibility of providing investigative leads when conventional DNA identification methods fail to solve a case can be of extreme relevance to law enforcement. Therefore, the forensic genetics community has focused research towards the broadened use of DNA, particularly for prediction of appearance traits, bio-geographical ancestry and age. The VISible Attributes through GEnomics (VISAGE) Consortium expanded the use of DNA phenotyping by developing new molecular and statistical tools for appearance, age and ancestry prediction. The VISAGE basic tool for appearance (EVC) and ancestry (BGA) prediction was initially developed using Ampliseq chemistry, but here is being evaluated using ForenSeq chemistry. The VISAGE basic tool offers a total of 41 EVC and 115 BGA SNPs and thus provides more predictions, i.e., skin color, than achieved with the ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep kit that is based on 24 EVC and 56 BGA SNPs. Five VISAGE laboratories participated in collaborative experiments to provide foreground for developmental validation of the assay. Assessment of assay performance and quality metrics, reproducibility, sensitivity, inhibitor tolerance and species specificity are described. Furthermore, the assay was tested using challenging samples such as mock casework samples and artificially degraded DNA. Two different analysis strategies were applied for this study and output on genotype calls and read depth was compared. Overall, inter-laboratory, inter-method and concordance with publicly available data were analysed and compared. Finally, the results showed a reliable and robust tool, which can be easily applied for laboratories already using a MiSeq FGx with ForenSeq reagents.</p>}},
  author       = {{Xavier, Catarina and de la Puente, Maria and Sidstedt, Maja and Junker, Klara and Minawi, Angelika and Unterländer, Martina and Chantrel, Yann and Laurent, François Xavier and Delest, Anna and Hohoff, Carsten and Bastisch, Ingo and Hedman, Johannes and van der Gaag, Kristiaan J. and Sijen, Titia and Parson, Walther}},
  issn         = {{1872-4973}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Forensic Science International: Genetics}},
  title        = {{Evaluation of the VISAGE basic tool for appearance and ancestry inference using ForenSeq® chemistry on the MiSeq FGx® system}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2022.102675}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.fsigen.2022.102675}},
  volume       = {{58}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}