2022/03/31

Forensic Magzine March 29, 2022: Brand New Deterministic Software Can Deconvolute a DNA Mixture in Seconds

In groundbreaking work that has the potential to completely upend forensic DNA analysis, a particle physicist has developed technology that can deconvolute a DNA mixture of up to 8 people in less than one minute—in a deterministic manner.

That part is critical as the only currently available deconvolution solutions are probabilistic, not deterministic. Probabilistic genotyping software outputs a likelihood ratio (LR) to express the weight of evidence. It evaluates the evidence relative to alternative pairs of hypotheses, for example, the probability that the DNA is from the suspect versus the probability that the DNA is from an unknown, unrelated individual. Probabilistic genotyping software also requires that a suspect's DNA be available to compare the result.

All of that is irrelevant with Jake Wortman’s technology from his brand-new company Mixolydian, which officially put its name out in the world Monday night, although Wortman has been perfecting the solution since 2016.

“You have to be very sure when you come out with something that is this different,” Wortman told Forensic in an exclusive interview. “It’s a completely different paradigm for how to analyze mixed-contributor DNA.”

It’s also an incredibly accurate one, with 100% test accuracy for DNA mixtures containing two contributors—a condition commonly seen in rape cases. more