Forensic Genomics

Human identification can at times be challenging when the identity of an individual cannot be confirmed. In Ghana, the identification of nameless bodies is a challenge that requires scientific efforts and has to be addressed from a philosophical viewpoint as a nation. Forensic DNA tools are very crucial to the field of human identification because they are capable of telling who people are based on their genotypes. The challenge of identifying nameless and unknown bodies in Ghana requires forensic DNA approaches to help manage it. Our short report constitutes information retrieved from journal databases, online news articles, and institutional reports related to the issue of unidentified bodies in Ghana from 2000 to 2022 and proposes an appeal for action-driven policies to be implemented toward efficient human identification in Ghana.

Commercially available solid-phase DNA extraction kits are commonly used in forensic science today. The forensicGEM™ Universal kit is a new generation approach to DNA extraction that uses a thermophilic proteinase and temperature to yield DNA that is ready for downstream applications. In this study, we describe the developmental validation of the forensicGEM Universal kit in accordance with current validation recommendations. The forensicGEM extraction kit has shown to provide genomic DNA for downstream polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based applications. DNA was recovered from samples with very low quantities of blood and saliva (0.01–10 μL). Although inhibitors were not physically removed from the extracts through wash steps, amplifications were not inhibited downstream of the forensicGEM extraction. Case-type samples yielded full profiles, devoid of PCR artifacts, where expected, based on quantification of the samples. The developmental validation of the forensicGEM product serves to define the reaction conditions and limitations for its use in routine forensic case work.