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Matching CODIS Genotypes to SNP Genotypes Using Linkage Disequilibrium

NCJ Number
253204
Journal
American Journal of Physical Anthropology Volume: 165 Issue: S66 Dated: 2018 Pages: 75-76
Date Published
2018
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes a genetic record-linkage method that assesses whether a particular set of genotypes from the CODIS markers is likely drawn from the same person (or an identical twin) as a set of genome-wide SNP genotypes.
Abstract

Forensic-genetic work in the United States relies largely on the CODIS markers, a set of 20 (until recently, 13) microsatellite loci in heavy use since the 1990s. One premise that has influenced forensic practice--figuring in discussions of both backward compatibility of SNP-based systems with the CODIS database and of genetic privacy--is that the information provided by the CODIS loci is completely distinct from the information provided by larger sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); however, there may be a connection between CODIS records and SNP information if pairs of CODIS and SNP genotypes can be identified as coming from the same person--that is, if CODIS and SNP records can be linked. The method described in the current article identifies matches with high accuracy in the presence of hundreds of false distractor matches, with implications for both the plausibility of backward compatibility of a SNP-based forensic database and for genetic privacy. (publisher abstract modified)

Date Published: January 1, 2018