Advancing forensic SNP typing: Insights from an interlaboratory study of the FORCE panel

Published

April 21, 2026

Author(s)

Katherine Gettings, Kevin Kiesler, Carolyn Steffen, Peter Vallone

Abstract

This study evaluated the ability to produce FORensic Capture Enrichment (FORCE) genotypes using amplicon-based and capture-based enrichment assays. Fifteen laboratories from three different continents participated in this study, choosing from one of four manufacturer-developed enrichment assays to complete the experiments, setting their own parameters for sequencing and other user-defined steps to accommodate their own preferences and expertise. A total of eighteen methods were evaluated, as three laboratories performed two methods. Twelve DNA samples were prepared and distributed to the laboratories for testing: five control DNA samples, a dilution series ranging from 10 ng to 0.03 ng, two degraded DNA samples with 200 bp and 150 bp average fragment lengths, and one inhibited sample spiked with humic acid. The results showed that all four assays were successful in producing full FORCE SNP genotypes from high quality samples. However, significant differences between and within assays were observed. Read count variability and enrichment type led to significant differences in call rate. An amplicon-based assay produced high SNP call rates at 0.03 ng DNA input, and capture and single primer extension assays produced consistently high SNP call rates from degraded samples with 150-200 bp fragments. Future research to optimize laboratory parameters may reduce the variation in SNP data, so that labs may equitably adopt SNP methods to make use of these powerful forensic markers.

Citation

Forensic Science International: Genetics

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2026.103513

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Keywords

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS), DNA Sequencing

Citation

Gettings, K. , Kiesler, K. , Steffen, C. and Vallone, P. (2026), Advancing forensic SNP typing: Insights from an interlaboratory study of the FORCE panel, Forensic Science International: Genetics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2026.103513, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=961133 (Accessed August 9, 2026)

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