WHERE WILL THE FUTURE OF FORENSIC DNA TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS LEAD US?

2015 ASIAN FORENSIC SCIENCES NETWORK

Presented By:Tim Schellberg

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 16, 2015

Global DNA ExpansionThe First 20 Years

United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand, Australia & Western EuropeEarly Adopters

Data from early adopters pushed the rest of the world forward

Countries to follow: 51Countries Implemented

These countries have implemented legislation/polices on a national basis to database the DNA of a defined category of criminal offender

AustraliaAustriaBahrainBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBrazilCanadaCzech RepublicChileChinaCroatiaCyprusDenmark

EstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyHong KongHungaryIcelandIsraelJapanJordanKuwaitLatviaLithuaniaNetherlands

New ZealandMacedoniaMalaysiaMauritiusNorwayOmanPanamaPolandPortugalQatarRussiaSloveniaSlovakiaSingapore

South KoreaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguay

51 COUNTRIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED NATIONAL PROGRAMS

OVER 60 MILLION OFFENDER SAMPLES

IMPLEMENTED Nationwide Criminal Offender DNA Programs in Asia

30 Million estimated offender samples No legislation - Different rules for

different provinces Focusing on making standardization

and quality better Strong and successful missing

person’s program

Over 500,000 offender samples

No DNA database specific legislation

China

Japan

Asia’s most established DNA database program

200,000 offender samples Legislation passed in 2002

Most crimes Arrestee testing

Pursuing Y STRs as database requirement

140,000 criminal offender samples DNA database legislation passed in

2010 Limited to violent and sexual

crimes Convicted and arrested, but

courts have discretion to not collect arrestee samples

Lack of strong legislation is limiting the success of the database program

South Korea

Singapore

Legislation passed in 2000 • All convicted offenders and serious arrestees• Estimated 150,000 samples

“Gold Standard” legislation passed in 2008• All crimes, convicted and arrested,

homeless, detainees, drug users, and strong on privacy protections

Slow implementation • National Police had to build DNA program

from no experience with DNA• Less than 50,000 offender samples, but

significant expansion planned

Legislation passed in 1999 and expanded in 2012

• Most convicted offenders and violent arrestees

• Problematic second offense requirement for non-violent offenses

100,000 offender samples in database

Malaysia

Taiwan

Hong Kong

Developing Nationwide Criminal Offender DNA Programs in Asia

Positioning to grow Philippines National Police is developing

arrestee testing program which is expected to begin in late 2016

Legislation introduced in April, 2015 CODIS installed in 2014 New DNA lab

No legislation, but regulatory authority to collect DNA from up to 500,000 convicted individuals

70,000 samples already in database. 2020 is target date to reach 500,000

Growing positive media attention with DNA database expansion

Philippines

Thailand

Developing Nationwide Criminal Offender DNA Programs in Asia

Prison pilot with an estimated 40,000 samples in database

Plans for a nationwide program of all criminal offenders over time

Aggressive war dead project in development Over 300,000 missing soldier remains

to be tested and compared to relatives Largest war dead DNA project globally

to date

Vietnam

Next Countries to Implement National DNA Database Programs

Ireland

Bangladesh

Italy

South Africa Vietnam

Mexico

ThailandPakistan

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Peru

India

Philippines

CIVIL DNA DATABASES

Discussion for whole population

databases grows in the Middle East

Denmark Study:“Nearly 80% say that cataloging the DNA of everyone in the country is a good idea.”- Copenhagen

Post(February 4, 2015)

Changing Attitudes

Kuwait Oman

UAE

CE and STR Technology & Scientist Operation Required

Dominating the First 20 Years

What will be the impact of new DNA technologies on how we view and use the databases?

Next Generation Sequencing

(NGS)

Rapid DNA

DNA Casework – What Technology Options will be available with NGS?

Many makers in one test • All relevant STR (50-100?)• All relevant Y-STR’s• Identity SNP’s• Phenotypic SNP’s (Physical Traits, Ancestry)• INDELS• Mito

Focus on specific panels to meet specific needs A combined CE and NGS approach

Next Generation Systems Benefit to Police Investigations

Low Quality/Quantity DNA (profiles from 75% less base-pair information)

Mixtures

Going deeper

Low Quality/Quantity

EXAMPLE: Current Unsolved Cold Cases • 200,000 unsolved murders in the USA

since 1960. • How many could benefit from NGS?

Mixtures The weak link in DNA casework testing

“Mixture deconvolution is our biggest challenge in forensic DNA”

Tim Kupferschmid, Chief Medical Examiner of the New York City Crime Lab.

Mixtures mistakes and concerns are building in the USA and globally• “National accreditation board suspends all DNA testing at

Washington D.C. Crime Lab “ - Washington Post - April 27, 2015

• Texas may call into question 24,000 mixture cases since 1999 oThe Texas Tribune - September 18, 2015

Going Deeper – Phenotypic SNPs

No suspects and no database match: Investigative leads with Phenotypic SNP’s will be another option

Eye and hair color Ancestry Facial features Disease

Legislation is likely to develop in many countries to regulate the use of SNPs

Some countries have already passed legislation to limit the use of SNPs• USA - Indiana, Wyoming, Rhode Island• European countries are considering legislation and policies

A public vs. private SNPs analysis may develop • Private SNPs (disease, etc.) • Public SNPs – Eye and hair color, height, ancestry, facial

structure• Are these “Public” SNPs really public?

Privacy, Legal and Legislative – Phenotypic, Ancestry, Disease SNP’s for CASEWORK

What will our policy makers do with NGS casework policy?

A Potential Future:• Further legislation is coming globally• Public and non-public testing policies• Warrant requirements• NGS registration and audits• Limits on size of panels• Combined CE/NGS Approach

PCR amplification

Library preparation

STR profile

Capillary electrophoresis

Illumina® MiSeq Ion Torrent™ PGM®

STRait Razorsoftware

HID STR Genotyper Plugin

STR profileSequencevariations

1 µL remaining24 µL

discarded or stored

ExtractionQuantificationSamples

A Combined CE/NGS Workflow Approach

NGS and Enhanced CE will eventually raise the question: Should we increase the core loci?

Decision Factors in

Choosing Loci:

Less focus on loci’s ability to deal with: Challenging Casework

Samples Mixtures Missing Persons/Mass

Disasters/War/Dead Familial Searching

<10 STR’sUK in 1995, other early adopters, parts of China

13-15 STR’sUSA and majority of other countries establishing databases after 2000

21-23 STR’sExisting gold standard

• What worked• Preventing

adventitious hits• Privacy• Time to result• Cost Consideration

THE LOCI USED FOR THE 60 MILLION SAMPLES AND FOR ALL SAMPLES IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE

If your goal is to get reliable hits against the database in these situations, what would you rather have in your reference database?

Degraded Casework, Mixtures, Missing Persons, Mass Disaster, War Dead, Familial Searching

Considerations/Drivers/Barriers:Enhanced Technology necessary to make it

practicalWhat markers should be used?Quantifying the positive impact on hitsPrivacy, policy, legal concerns

21-23 STRs or 21-23

STRs

Privacy, Legal and Legislative Issues – New Technology

CE Technology Enhancements

MPS – Technology

Admissibility processes

Will MPS be permitted in a compulsory DNA environment?

○ Legislation may develop to highly regulate and restrict MPS from being in the hands of police based government agencies

○ Compare the Stingray Tracking Device https://www.aclu.org/map/stingray-tracking-devices-whos-got-them

Additional STRs Mito Identity SNPs Phenotypic and Ancestry SNPs Y-STRs

Privacy, Legal and Legislative Issues – Databasing additional STRs, Mito, ID SNPs, Phenotypic SNPs,

Ancestry SNPs and Y-STRs

Rapid DNA For Booking Stations

Compare to unsolved crimes database within two hours (Before Release)

Accomplish public safety and empower police

Arrest Fingerprint/Photo &

SWAB

United States Developing a Detailed Protocol for Rapid DNA

FBI wants the first wave of Rapid DNA devices operational in the police booking stations by 2019-2020

Challenges:• Performance of technology• Federal law change• State information system integration • State laws - crime labs vs. booking station processes• State laws - arrestee laws• Police department funding

Prognosis : It’s happening, the question is when

Local law enforcement will control the hit. This changes everything:

Control

Awareness

Utilizatio

n

Additional Resource

s

CHANGING THE POLICE”SRELATIONSHIP WITH DNA

RAPID DNA

Rapid DNA for Crime Scene Evidence

Positives: Results will be fast and impressive Challenges: Forensic testing decision making

in the hands of untrained officers • What samples to test? Impact on limited

evidence• Interpretation issues

Outcomes: Protocols will likely develop to allow police to use Rapid DNA on:

• Cases with excessive DNA• Lower level crimes

Rapid DNA Creating New Databasing Application

Military

The 117 Countries Who May Not Have Infrastructure

Border Control - Detainee

Immigration/Refugee Process

Questions?

Tim Schellbergtims@gth-gov.com