The Latest Paradigm Shift in Forensic Genetics - Massively Parallel Sequencing and Large Volumes of Data

Abstract

Over the last several decades forensic genetics has evolved to provide extremely sensitive and highly resolving results for human identification in criminal cases and humanitarian efforts. The advent of DNA databases increased the power of forensic DNA typing even further by rapidly developing investigative leads. Even with the current methods, markers and databases, hundreds of thousands to millions of criminal, civil and humanitarian cases have not been resolved even though biological evidence is available. To address this deficiency the forensic genetics community is poised for a paradigm shift fuelled by the advent of massively parallel sequencing and a reinvigoration of genetic markers known as single nucleotide polymorphisms. Two examples – forensic genetic genealogy for human identification and virome analyses for geolocation – are discussed to illustrate the power and future of forensic genetics or more appropriately termed forensic genomics. Keywords: forensic genetics, human identification, massively parallel sequencing, single nucleotide polymorphisms, forensic genetic genealogy, virome, geolocation.