Othram Launches KinSNP™ Priority Service for Rapid Familial Relationship Testing
KinSNP™ allows investigators to infer kinship in closely and distantly related individuals, combining the speed of traditional forensic STR testing, with the power of advanced SNP testing.
The Woodlands, TX (January 13, 2020) – Othram, the leading forensic sequencing laboratory for law enforcement, has announced a new priority service, KinSNP™, which enables rapid confirmation or exclusion of candidate relationships between an unknown subject and potential relatives in support of forensic genetic genealogy applications. The entire process is performed offline and there is no interaction with genealogical databases, maximizing privacy and security.
In 2019, Othram launched Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing™, which harnesses the power of massively parallel sequencing, paired with proprietary laboratory methods, computational algorithms, and database resources. Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing™ prioritizes minimizing consumption of evidence, while producing the most comprehensive genetic profile from forensic inputs. Working with evidence unsuitable for other methods and laboratories, Othram has fully integrated an in-house process that includes DNA extraction, enrichment, and repair, to sequencing and analysis.
“KinSNPTM is the perfect companion to FGGS to accelerate the investigative process, while maximizing privacy protections for voluntary target testers, and not only because the results are not entered into a genealogy database.” says Othram CEO Dr. David Mittelman, “When target tests take months, investigators are compelled to test several potential relatives in parallel, but if it’s quicker, the tests can be done in series, with the selection of each candidate informed by the results for the others, leading to fewer tests overall to get to a solve.”
KinSNPTM technology was recently used to confirm relationships in the widely covered case of “Mostly Harmless” (https://dnasolves.com/articles/big_cypress_remains/). The priority service launches publicly in the United States and Canada, on February 1st. More information on the service is available at http://www.kinsnp.com.
About Othram Inc.:
Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. Visit dnasolves.com to learn how anyone can make a difference in helping solve the next cold case.
