Automated decision support for associating an unknown biological specimen with a family

摘要

Three methods of predicting whether an unknown biological specimen of a missing person originates from a member of a particular family comprise an initial automated decision support (ADS) algorithm for determining a list of relatives of the missing person for DNA typing and which typing technologies of available technologies to use for a listed relative. The ADS algorithm may be implemented on computer apparatus including a processor and an associated memory. The ADS method comprises determining a set of relatives of available family member relatives for DNA typing via a processor from a stored list of family member relatives according to one of a rule base, a table of hierarchically stored relatives developed based on discriminatory power or by calculating the discriminatory power for available family relatives to type. The ADS method may further comprise comparing at least one set of DNA typing data for the unknown biological specimen to DNA typing data from biological specimens from the determined set of relatives; calculating by the processor a likelihood function that the person is related to the family; and outputting a decision whether or not the person is related to the family.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of selecting and typing a subset of available family members to a missing person for DNA profiling to identify or exclude a typed unknown biological specimen as related to a family pedigree including the missing person, the computer-implemented method for implementation on computer apparatus comprising a processor, an input device coupled to the processor, an output device coupled to the processor and a memory for storing profile data obtained from said typed unknown biological specimen coupled to the processor, the computer-implemented method comprising:
(a) storing relationships in said memory between said missing person and said available family members in a family pedigree via said input device; (b) pre-calculating and embedding in memory a plurality of bell-shaped frequency distributions of the likelihood ratios of at least six different family member combinations; (c) using said pre-calculated and embedded frequency distributions for different family member combinations to select a particular subset of available family members for DNA typing as the selected subset; (d) using at least one selected DNA typing technology for typing the selected subset of available family members to obtain DNA profile data and storing said DNA profile data for said selected subset in said memory; (e) using the pedigree and said stored DNA profile data of said selected subset using a modified Elston Stewart algorithm to calculate a likelihood function value between the stored profile data obtained from said typed unknown biological specimen and said stored profile data for said selected subset of available family members via said processor; and (f) outputting a decision whether said typed unknown biological specimen likely originates from said missing person and said family pedigree or to exclude said typed unknown biological specimen as unrelated to said missing person and said family pedigree.