The addition of powerful genetic marker arrays: SNP Arrays

The method of Genotyping SNPs using hybridization to an array of immobilized probes is not a very recent DNA technology, but in the context of familial searching of genealogy databases, it is one that has solved some big cases. This technology, currently commercialized by the companies Illumine and Affymetrix.

Also, the SNP arrays have been widely used in research studies of many different diseases and human populations. The main thing is that generating a profile with these arrays is less expensive and faster than MPS analysis. Moreover, the profiles with these SNP panels are highly informative and are well suited for tracing familial relationships.

Furthermore, these SNP array profiles are the basis of the analyses conducted by many ancestry companies, such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com, as well as the public database GEDMatch. Now, this technology is also applied to forensic samples. In several high-profile cases, the profile of an evidence sample has been compared to the profiles in the GEDMatch database.

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As you know, the Genotyping technology used in all these genealogical searches is the SNP array. Once the suspect is identified, the additional samples are collected. The standard STR profile can be generated and compared to the STR profiles of the evidence samples. At last, the result is presented to the court.