Background: WGA (Whole Genome Amplification) in forensic genetics can eliminate the technical limitations arising from low amounts of genomic DNA (gDNA). However, it has not been used to date because any amplification bias generated may complicate the interpretation of results. Our aim in this paper was to assess the applicability of MDA to forensic SNP genotyping by performing a comparative analysis of genomic and amplified DNA samples. A 26-SNPs TaqMan panel specifically designed for low copy number (LCN) and/or severely degraded genomic DNA was typed on 100 genomic as well as amplified DNA samples.

Background: The recent advances in human genetics have recently provided new insights into phenotypic variation and genome variability. Current forensic DNA techniques involve the search for genetic similarities and differences between biological samples. Consequently the selection of ideal genomic biomarkers for human identification is crucial in order to ensure the highest stability and reproducibility of results.

A total of 150 samples of unrelated males from North of Italy were analyzed with the prototype Yfiler® Plus kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Oyster Point, CA). This kit is a short tandem repeat (STR) assay based on six-dye chemistry that amplifies 25 Y-STR loci. Sixteen loci are in common with Yfiler® kit and nine are new (DYS576, DYS627, DYS460, DYS518, DYS570, DYS449, DYS481, DYF387S1a/b, DYS533). In this population study, the improvement of adding additional Y-STR markers increased the discriminatory capacity from 0.787 with the minimum haplotype (MHT) loci to 1 with the prototype Yfiler® Plus kit.

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