STRmix scientists to headline DNA forensics conference in Providence

STRmix scientists will present workshops and talks at the 37th International Symposium on Human Identification, set for Oct. 26-29 in Providence, Rhode Island. The sessions will focus on probabilistic genotyping, DNA mixture interpretation, Y-STR analysis and low-stutter chemistry, as the forensic field pushes toward faster and more defensible DNA workflows.

Why it matters: - The ISHI symposium is the largest annual conference focused exclusively on forensic DNA innovation. - The event will bring together lab directors, law enforcement professionals and other global experts. - The sessions will address core issues in modern DNA forensics, including probabilistic genotyping, DNA mixture interpretation, next-generation sequencing and forensic investigative genetic genealogy. - The presentations come as forensic labs continue to seek faster analysis, stronger validation and clearer courtroom interpretation.

What happened: - The 37th International Symposium on Human Identification runs Oct. 26-29 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island. - STRmix co-developer Jo Bright, training and support lead Cat McGovern, and senior scientists Meng-Han Lin and Richard Wivell are among the featured speakers. - The symposium theme is “Profiling the Future of Forensics.” - STRmix scientists will appear in two workshops and two additional presentations.

The details: - The workshop “DNA Profile Analysis in a Validated Process for Efficiency and Interpretation” is scheduled for Oct. 25, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. - Meng-Han Lin will co-chair that workshop, with Cat McGovern supporting the session. - The workshop will cover algorithmic variations across analysis software, stutter modelling, number of contributors determination, workflow development, internal implementation and validation. - Helena Wong of the Oakland Police Department and Megan O’Donnell of the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory will join the workshop. - The workshop “Bayes to Bench: Understanding Likelihood Ratios and Probabilistic Genotyping from Foundations to Legal Challenges” is scheduled for Oct. 26, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. - Jo Bright and Richard Wivell will present in that workshop, which will be chaired by Professor Mike Coble of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. - The workshop will cover Bayes Theorem, likelihood ratios, admissibility hearings, validation scope, assigned number of contributors, relatives and common challenges to probabilistic genotyping use. - Bright will also present “A Paradigm Shift in Forensic DNA Analysis: Investigation into the Reduced Stutter Chemistry and its Implications for Profile Interpretation” with Coble on Oct. 27, 10:30-10:50 a.m. - That presentation will evaluate Reduced Stutter Polymerase on ground-truth, single-source and mixed DNA profiles. - The talk will examine allele concordance, locus- and allele-specific stutter rates, number of contributors assessment, and sensitivity and specificity testing of complex mixtures using probabilistic genotyping methods. - Bright will also present “It’s Ys: Probabilistic Genotyping of Y-STR Profiles” on Oct. 29, 9:56-10:16 a.m. - That presentation will examine probabilistic genotyping for Y-STR profiles, including stutter, peak height variance, dropout and multi-copy loci. - The talk will also review sensitivity and specificity studies across mixtures of varying quality and quantity, along with assigned likelihood ratios. - Jo Bright is a senior science leader at the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science Limited, known as PHF Science, where she has worked since 1999. - Bright co-developed STRmix™, software designed to resolve mixed DNA profiles previously considered too complex to interpret. - Catherine McGovern is a science leader at PHF Science and leads customer training and support services within the STRmix team. - Meng-Han Lin has been with the STRmix team since 2016 and works on science development, testing and validation of FaSTR™ DNA analysis software. - Richard Wivell has been with the STRmix team since 2008 and previously worked as a forensic scientist for the Metropolitan Police Service and the Forensic Science Service in the UK. - PHF Science is a New Zealand government research organization, and STRmix Limited is its wholly owned subsidiary. - STRmix™ has been used in more than 700,000 criminal cases worldwide since its introduction in 2012. - The software has been used in violent crime, sexual assault and cold cases where evidence was originally viewed as inconclusive. - The STRmix team has also developed FaSTR™ DNA, DBLR™ and STRmix™ NGS to extend analysis, kinship searching and next-generation sequencing interpretation. - FaSTR™ DNA is designed to rapidly analyze raw DNA data and assign a number of contributors estimate when integrated with STRmix. - DBLR™ supports kinship analysis, database searches, mixture-to-mixture matches and visualization of mixture evidence. - STRmix™ NGS handles fully continuous mixture interpretation and likelihood ratio generation for profiles from next-generation sequencing. - More information about STRmix is available at the company’s website.

Between the lines: - The speaker lineup signals that STRmix is using ISHI to showcase both software capabilities and scientific validation work. - The mix of court-focused sessions and laboratory workflow talks suggests the company is targeting both technical users and forensic decision-makers. - The emphasis on validation, admissibility and likelihood ratios reflects the pressure forensic DNA methods face in court as well as in the lab. - The broader product lineup shows STRmix is positioning its tools as a full workflow, from raw data analysis to interpretation and database matching.

What's next: - The symposium will run through Oct. 29, with STRmix scientists presenting across multiple days. - The talks are likely to feed ongoing adoption and discussion of probabilistic genotyping methods in forensic laboratories. - STRmix and PHF Science will continue updating related software as DNA interpretation needs expand to more profile types and sequencing-based workflows.