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STRBase (strbase.nist.gov) was launched in late 1997 to collect and organize information in one location about Short Tandem Repeats (STR), the new emerging forensic marker type at the time. Over the next twenty-plus years, data related to STR markers was
Peter Vallone, Lisa Borsuk, Carolyn Steffen, Sarah Riman, Kevin Kiesler, Erica Romsos
As DNA typing technologies have advanced and sensitivity improved, measurement and interpretation issues related to low template, degraded, and complex DNA mixtures encountered in forensic laboratories have evolved. In turn, the forensic DNA typing
Erica Romsos, Kevin Kiesler, Carolyn Steffen, Lisa Borsuk, Sarah Riman, Lauren Mullen, Jodi Irwin, Peter Vallone, Katherine Gettings
Background: In 2018, the Next-Generation Sequencing Committee of SWGDAM queried bioinformatic and statistical interpretation method developers regarding data needs for the development of sequence-based probabilistic genotyping software. Methods: Based on
John Butler, Hariharan Iyer, Richard Press, Melissa Taylor, Peter Vallone, Sheila Willis
Improvements in DNA testing methods have allowed forensic scientists to reduce the quantity of DNA required for profiling an individual. Today, DNA profiles can be generated from a few skin cells. This increased sensitivity has extended the usefulness of
This report provides supplemental information to NISTIR 8351 DNA Mixture Interpretation: A NIST Scientific Foundation Review and summarizes the history of DNA mixture interpretation. A second supplemental document to NISTIR 8351 discusses training and
This report provides supplemental information to NISTIR 8351 DNA Mixture Interpretation: A NIST Scientific Foundation Review and summarizes information from publicly accessible validation data and proficiency test results covering DNA mixture
Identical sensitivity and mixture sample sets were provided to six external laboratories to evaluate the recent enhancements to the Rapid DNA technology for crime scene-type samples. Data were returned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the
Identical sensitivity and mixture sample sets were provided to six external laboratories to evaluate the recent enhancements to the Rapid DNA technology for crime scene-type samples. Data were returned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the
Erica Romsos, Lisa Borsuk, Carolyn Steffen, Sarah Riman, Kevin Kiesler, Peter Vallone
Advancements in forensic DNA typing technology and methods have resulted in increased sensitivity and, while beneficial, carry the weight of more challenging profile interpretation. In response, the forensic DNA community has often requested more complex
Jonelle Thompson, Carolyn Steffen, Peter Vallone, Robert McLaren
The PowerPlex® 18E System is an 18-locus, eight-dye, STR multiplex optimized for use with the Spectrum CE System and Spectrum Compact CE System. It simultaneously amplifies all 16 ENFSI-recommended loci and two gender-determining loci. In addition, there
Melissa Taylor, Erica Romsos, Kaye Ballantyne, Dawn Moore Boswell, Thomas Busey
The Expert Working Group on Human Factors in Forensic DNA Interpretation has conducted a scientific assessment of the effects of human factors in forensic DNA analysis. The Working Group evaluated relevant bodies of scientific literature and technical
Martin Bodner, David Ballard, Lisa Borsuk, Jonathan King, Walther Parson, Christopher Phillips, Katherine Gettings
The autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) locus D6S474 and the Y-chromosomal STR locus DYS612 have been reported multiple ways in the forensic literature, with differences in both the bracketed repeat structures and counting of numerical length-based
Sarah Riman, Mirna Ghemrawi, Lisa Borsuk, Rami Mahfouz, Susan Walsh, Peter Vallone
This is the first study that characterizes the sequence-based allelic variations of 22 autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (aSTR) loci in a population dataset collected from Lebanon. Genomic DNA extracts from 195 unrelated Lebanese individuals were amplified
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in biological sciences from 2019 to 2022 as a part of the 20th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. Topics reviewed include rapid DNA testing, using law enforcement DNA
The STR sequencing project was developed due to the necessity of publicly sharing sequencing information about Short Tandem Repeats (STR) associated with human identification. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) or Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) is
The top challenges of adopting new methods to forensic DNA analysis in routine laboratories are often the capital investment and the expertise required to implement and validate such methods locally. In the case of next generation sequencing, in the last
A likelihood ratio (LR) system is defined as the entire pipeline of the measurement and interpretation processes where probabilistic genotyping software (PGS) is a piece of the whole LR system. To gain understanding on how two LR systems perform, a total
Lisa Borsuk, Carolyn R. Steffen, Kevin M. Kiesler, Peter Vallone, Katherine Gettings
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) U.S. population sample set of unrelated individuals was used to determine allele and haplotype frequencies for seven X-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) loci in four linkage groups. DXS7132
The presence of single stranded DNA (ssDNA) in an extract of nominally double stranded DNA (dsDNA) can lead digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) measurements to overestimate the mass concentration of DNA in a sample by up to a factor of two. Motivated
Laurence Devesse, Lucinda Davenport, Lisa Borsuk, Katherine Gettings, Gabriella Mason-Buck, Peter Vallone, David Ballard
The application of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) to forensic genetics has led to improvements in multiple aspects of DNA analysis, however, additional complexities are concurrently associated with these advances. In relation to short tandem repeat
John Butler, Hariharan Iyer, Richard Press, Melissa Taylor, Peter Vallone, Sheila Willis
DNA mixture interpretation has become more challenging in recent years due to several factors including submission of more touch evidence samples to aid investigations and generation of more sensitive DNA test results with new STR typing kits. This
Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) methodology has been asserted to be a "potentially primary" analytical approach for assigning DNA concentration. Currently available chamber dPCR (cdPCR) and droplet dPCR (ddPCR) platforms are thought capable of
Three commercially available integrated rapid DNA instruments were tested as a part of a rapid DNA maturity assessment in the July of 2018. The assessment was conducted with sets of blinded single-source reference samples to gauge the typing success of the
Sarah Riman, Hariharan K. Iyer, Lisa A. Borsuk, Peter M. Vallone
The sequencing of STR markers provides additional information present in the underlying sequence variation that is typically masked by traditional fragment-based genotyping. However, the interpretation of STR profiles generated by targeted sequencing