GHEP Online School 2024: Workshop 1

Kinship and pedigree analysis: Methods and applications

• Dates: October 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2024
• Where: Online, as part of GHEP-ISFG Online School 2024
• Teachers: Magnus D. Vigeland and Thore Egeland
• Audience: Students, researchers and case workers in forensic genetics

Learning outcomes

• Classical concepts and methods of genetic relatedness
• Using QuickPed and other apps for pedigree analysis
• Using Familias software to perform kinship testing
• Methods for relationship inference and pedigree reconstruction
• Practical methods for disaster victim identification

Software preparation: R

Several exercises will use R. In order to do them, please install the following on your computer:

• A recent version of R
• RStudio

Run the following command in R to install the pedsuite packages:

install.packages("pedsuite")

Software preparation: Familias

Part of the course is based on kinship testing in the Familias software, which can be installed here: https://familias.no/download.

Schedule

The course runs each Monday of October 2024, from 16 to 20 (CEST). The following schedule is tentative:

Oct 7: Theory of relatedness

• 16:00–17:00 Introduction to pedigrees, QuickPed and R (MDV)
• 17:00–17:45 Exercises I
• 17:45–18:00 Break
• 18:00–19:00 Measures of relatedness (MDV)
• 19:00–19:45 Exercises II
• 19:45–20:00 Wrap-up

Oct 14: Kinship testing

• 16:00–17:00 Introduction to forensic kinship testing (TE)
• 17:00–17:45 Exercises III
• 17:45–18:00 Break
• 18:00–19:00 Kinship testing with Familias (TE)
• 19:00–19:45 Exercises IV. File needed: kinship-riddle.fam
• 19:45–20:00 Wrap-up

Oct 21: Relatedness inference

• 16:00–17:00 Realised relatedness: Why are some siblings more alike than others? (MDV)
• 17:00–17:45 Exercises V
• 17:45–18:00 Break
• 18:00–19:00 Pedigree reconstruction (MDV)
• 19:00–19:45 Exercises VI
• 19:45–20:00 Wrap-up

Oct 28: Disaster victim identification

• 16:00–17:00 DNA-based disaster victim identification (TE)
• 17:00–17:45 Exercises VII. Familias file: planecrash.fam
• 17:45–18:00 Break
• 18:00–19:00 Practical DVI with Diviana (MDV)
• 19:00–19:45 Exercises VIII
• 19:45–20:00 Wrap-up

Solutions to the exercises can be requested by email to magnusdv at gmail dot com.