DNA Resources

Boston University DNA Mixture Training Website and the PROVEDIt Database

The Boston University DNA Mixture site contains more than 27,000 thousand electronic profiles and a series of lessons on DNA profile interpretation.

This collection of .fsa and .hid profiles was generated over a four year period and includes 1- to 5- person DNA samples amplified with targets ranging from 1 to 0.007 ng. In the case of multi-contributor samples, the contributor ratios ranged from equal parts of each contributor to mixtures containing 19 parts of one and 1 part of the other(s).  Additionally, these profiles were generated using a variety of laboratory conditions from samples containing pristine; damaged (i.e., UV-Vis); enzymatically/sonically degraded; and inhibited DNA.

PROVEDIt Software Programs

The PROVEDIt project also consists of a suite of analysis and interpretation software systems developed in a variety of environments by a multidisciplinary, inter-institutional team.  The profiles and tools are made available to the community by the Laboratory for Forensic Research & Technology Development.

The collection includes:

  • CEESIt: Computational Evaluation of Evidentiary Signal – Outputs the likelihood ratio, likelihood ratio distribution and p-value for an unknown.
  • NOCIt:  Number of Contributors – Outputs the a posteriori probability distribution for the number of contributors from which the sample arose.
  • GGETIt:  Genotype Generator & Evaluation Tool – A simulator that outputs the minimum number of contributors based on allele counts and compares it against the known number of contributors.
  • SEEIt: Simulating Evidentiary Eletropherograms – A dynamic model written in the StellaTM environment that simulates the entire forensic process and produces simulated, well-characterized electropherograms for up to six contributors.
  • CleanIt:  An automated procedure for filtering bleed-through, complex bleed-through and  minus A from an electropherogram.