Ancient DNA Methods Improve Forensic DNA Profiling of Korean War and World War II Unknowns

Zavala, Elena I.; Thomas, Jacqueline Tyler; Sturk-Andreaggi, Kimberly; Daniels-Higginbotham, Jennifer; Meyers, Kerriann K.; Barrit-Ross, Suzanne; Aximu‐Petri, Ayinuer; Richter, Julia; Nickel, Birgit; Berg, Gregory E.; McMahon, Timothy P.; Meyer, Matthias; Marshall, Charla

doi:10.3390/genes13010129

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Techniques for identification of human remains continue to improve particularly with the capabilities of NGS and hybridization capture [ 595 ] and ancient DNA extraction protocols [ 596 , 597 ]. Studies have reported variation in skeletal DNA preservation [ 598 ] and retrospectively considered success rates with compromised human remains [ 599 ].…”

Section: Emerging Technologies Research Studies and Other Topicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in forensic biology and forensic DNA typing: INTERPOL review 2019–2022

Butler

2023

Forensic Science International: Synergy

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Section: Emerging Technologies Research Studies and Other Topicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in forensic biology and forensic DNA typing: INTERPOL review 2019–2022

Butler

2023

Forensic Science International: Synergy

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“…However, the feasibility of introducing ancient DNA methods into forensic methodology has recently been published. Authors have shown that implementing such methods improves forensic DNA profiling and they argue that it can increase the success rate for identifying historical remains [56,108].…”

Section: Where Paleogenetic and Forensic Sciences Convergementioning

confidence: 99%

Methodological Changes in the Field of Paleogenetics

Danielewski

Żuraszek

Zielińska

et al. 2023

Genes

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Paleogenetics has significantly changed since its inception almost forty years ago. Initially, molecular techniques available to the researchers offered minimal possibilities for ancient DNA analysis. The subsequent expansion of the scientific tool cabinet allowed for more remarkable achievements, combined has with the newfound popularity of this budding field of science. Finally, a breakthrough was made with the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and the update of DNA isolation protocols, through which even very fragmented aDNA samples could be used to sequence whole genomes. In this paper, we review the achievements made thus far and compare the methodologies utilized in this field of science, discussing their benefits and challenges.

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“…The remains under the purview of KWIP originate from a 70-year-old conflict and are subject to a wide array of taphonomic conditions; therefore, the nDNA typically utilized in individual identification (i.e., short tandem repeats) is frequently too degraded for a complete, or even partial, profile (Zavala et al, 2022). Thus, mtDNA has become the primary modality of genetic analysis, aided by nDNA where possible, for the identification of Korean War losses.…”

Section: Box 2 Sanger and Next-generation Sequencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Korean War Identification Project: 30 years of expanding scope and complexity in the accounting of American war dead

Keyes

Doman

et al. 2023

WIREs Forensic Science

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The Korean War claimed approximately 36,500 American service member casualties in its 3 years, of which nearly 7600 are still unaccounted for. The Korea 208 (K208) Project began in 2011 to more strategically address the highly commingled nature of 208 boxes of human remains that were repatriated from North Korea to the United Nations Command in the early 1990s and subsequently turned over to the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (now Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency [DPAA]) for analysis and identification. The K208 was further expanded by the recovery of remains from Joint Recovery Operations (JROs) in North Korea between 1996 and 2005, which revealed, among other issues, the presence of non-U.S. casualties and crossover of elements between these two assemblages.More recently, 55 boxes of human remains (known as the K55) were repatriated from North Korea in 2018 with many of the same commingling and assemblage crossover issues originally presented by the K208. Additionally, there has been an increased push to disinter more than 800 unknown Korean War service members buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also known as the Punchbowl) in Honolulu, which represent casualties recovered from both North and South Korea that had undergone prior analysis in the 1950s and 1960s. Subsequent examination has revealed that many Punchbowl remains are commingled despite being thought to have been originally buried as discrete individuals. Because of these developments, the K208 Project has grown in complexity and scope, thus changing its name to the Korean War Identification Project (KWIP) in 2017. Now under its purview are the original accessions from the K208 and JROs as well as the K55 and Punchbowl, representing the largest identification project within the DPAA. A robust and defensible identification process begins with an initial triage of the remains, followed by a systematic process of segregation, consolidation, and corroboration leading to identification. This

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Ancient DNA Methods Improve Forensic DNA Profiling of Korean War and World War II Unknowns

Cited by 31 publications

References 49 publications

Recent advances in forensic biology and forensic DNA typing: INTERPOL review 2019–2022

Recent advances in forensic biology and forensic DNA typing: INTERPOL review 2019–2022

Methodological Changes in the Field of Paleogenetics

The Korean War Identification Project: 30 years of expanding scope and complexity in the accounting of American war dead

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