Advancing forensic genetic genealogy with hybridization capture: A high-density SNP approach to genotyping complex samples

Design and validation of a 1.2M SNP panel for distant kinship analysis presented by Brian Brunelle

During the 2025 International Symposium on Human Identification, Brian Brunelle, PhD, of Daicel Arbor Biosciences presented research evaluating the performance of a novel method for high-resolution human genotyping. The approach utilizes a hybridization-capture-based target enrichment kit to enable cost-effective recovery of dense SNP information from degraded and contaminated samples. Brunelle’s findings show that this approach enables confident kinship inference to fifth degree relationships and beyond while offering compatibility with established genealogical databases.

The kit – myBaits Compass 1.2M SNP kit – enriches genomic samples for approximately 1.2 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for next-generation sequencing or massive parallel sequencing for forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) applications. The abundance of SNPs included in the set was proven to sufficiently sample test genomes to detect shared chromosomal segments between individuals, overcoming limitations of smaller marker sets and reducing reliance on imputation.

At the core of this technology are the biotinylated ssRNA probes that target, hybridize, and enrich complementary sequences in a sample – designed to affix to regions containing forensically-relevant SNPs. During hybridization capture, these probes anneal to the target fraction of a denatured sequencing library before being sequestered onto magnetic beads through biotin-streptavidin complex formation. Non-target DNA is washed away, and the captured library is then released from the beads and amplified before insertion into a flowcell (short-reads) or ligated to an adapter (long-reads) for sequencing.

In his study, Brunelle analyzed both control and field forensic samples to assess capture efficiency, differences in sequencing expenditures, and concordance versus whole genome sequencing (WGS). Internal and field testing showed high SNP coverage from challenging samples and over 99.6% concordance with WGS in comparative analyses. Additionally, the method greatly reduced the amount of sequencing per sample needed to obtain sufficient SNP coverage for analysis. The data provided is compatible with any downstream analysis, including use with genealogical databases, and the kit can be incorporated into any current NGS/MPS workflow.

“Seeing the kit perform on real forensic materials, and produce database-compatible SNP calls from challenging samples has been especially rewarding,” noted Brunelle, “This approach will provide impactful genetic information for many in the forensics community struggling to find answers in degraded and low quality samples.”

With the development of the myBaits Compass 1.2M SNP kit, Brunelle and the team at Daicel Arbor Biosciences aim to empower researchers and investigators to extract usable genomic data where traditional methods fail – bringing clarity to investigations, identifying unknown individuals, and expanding the reach of modern genetic genealogy.

For more information, visit the Daicel Arbor Biosciences website or contact a member of the team here.