Continued Development of FROG-kb: A Forensic Resource/Reference on Genetics knowledge base

As submitted by the proposer: Forensic practice will be using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the near future to provide types of relevant information that the current forensic markers, short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs), cannot provide--such as information on ancestry and visible traits such as hair, eye, and skin color. These applications require a large reference database on allele frequencies of SNPs in multiple populations around the world. The existing large database developed at Yale by Dr. K. Kidd and his group and the web interfaces ALFRED (Allele Frequency Database) and FROG-kb (Forensic Resource/Reference on Genetics knowledge base) that allow access to and forensic use of the data will be enhanced with more data and better functionality for use in forensic practice. The work over a two-year period will involve ongoing curation and entry of public data into the database. In addition, the web interfaces will have additional search and display functions as well as additional didactic information on the human population genetics and forensic principles aspects. Additional statistical ability will be incorporated into the FROG-kb interface. These improvements will facilitate the transition to use of SNPs in forensic practice and provide tools for their implementation. By the end of the project we anticipate a database of 100,000,000 allele frequency tables on nearly 1,000 different human populations with ready access and ability to use in practice the data most important for forensic practice. ca/ncf