Abstract

I will outline some interesting aspects of the analysis of complex DNA profiles that have arisen from my recent work in court cases and in my research.  The latter has been largely performed in association with former PhD student Christ Steele at UCL and Cellmark UK.  We developed a new statistical model and software for the evaluation of complex DNA profiles [1], and some new approaches to validation.  We also investigated using a dropin model to account for multiple very-low-level contributors, the statistical efficiency of a split-and-replicate profiling strategy versus a one-shot profile, and a simple linkage adjustment.  If time and opportunity permit I will use my last-speaker slot to comment on relevant issues raised during the conference,

1. Steele C, Greenhalgh M, Balding D (2016). Evaluation of low-template DNA profiles using peak heights. Statistical Applications in Genetics and Molecular Biology, 15(5), pp. 431-445. doi:10.1515/sagmb-2016-0038