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Case report: on the use of the HID-Ion AmpliSeq™ Ancestry Panel in a real forensic case

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Abstract

In the absence of any other conclusive forensic evidence, DNA profiling is the method of choice for body identification. This study focuses on the case of a carbonized corpse whose complete autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) profile could not lead to direct identification by the investigators. To assist in the progress of investigation, we endeavoured to determine the biogeographical origin and eye colour of the deceased individual. Along with Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA analyses, we applied a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach to the study of ancestry informative markers (AIMs) using the HID-Ion AmpliSeq™ Ancestry Panel launched by Thermo Fisher Scientific. This work gave us the opportunity to test this new technology in a real forensic case. Although this study highlights the benefits of such a combined approach, as it markedly improves the specificity of the biogeographical profile, it also underlines the need for the accurate characterization of a larger collection of reference populations and the necessity of caution in data interpretation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine, Université de Strasbourg, 11 rue Humann, 67085, Strasbourg, France

    C. Hollard, C. Keyser, T. Delabarde & A. Gonzalez

  2. AMIS Laboratory, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, 37 Allées Jules Guesde, Toulouse, 31073, France

    C. Keyser, C. Vilela Lamego, V. Zvénigorosky & B. Ludes

  3. Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine (INTS), 6 rue Alexandre Cabanel, 75015, Paris, France

    C. Keyser, T. Delabarde, C. Vilela Lamego & B. Ludes

  4. Institute of Legal Medicine, 2 voie Mazas, 75012, Paris, France

    B. Ludes

  5. Université Paris Descartes, 12 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, 75006, Paris, France

    B. Ludes

Authors
  1. C. Hollard
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  2. C. Keyser
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  3. T. Delabarde
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  4. A. Gonzalez
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  5. C. Vilela Lamego
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  6. V. Zvénigorosky
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  7. B. Ludes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Hollard.

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Hollard, C., Keyser, C., Delabarde, T. et al. Case report: on the use of the HID-Ion AmpliSeq™ Ancestry Panel in a real forensic case. Int J Legal Med 131, 351–358 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-016-1425-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-016-1425-1

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