Skip to content

Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP)

Definition

Prediction of externally visible characteristics, ancestry and age of an unknown donor from SNP genotypes. Investigative lead, not identification.

Related terms

Biogeographic Ancestry Inference (BGA)
Statistical assignment of a donor to continental ancestry groups using Ancestry-Informative SNPs (AIMs). Distinct from racial categorisation.
Body-Fluid-Specific Transcripts
RNA markers expressed only in one fluid: HBB for blood, STATH for saliva, PRM1 for semen, MUC4 for vaginal fluid, MMP7 for...
Deconvolution
A computational technique that estimates the PSF and inverts its effect to recover a sharper image. The quality depends entirely on how...
Externally Visible Characteristics (EVCs)
Traits a witness could see: eye, hair, skin colour, freckling, hair shape, height. The EU-funded VISAGE consortium targets this set.
HIrisPlex-S
A 41-SNP externally visible characteristics (EVC) panel for simultaneous prediction of eye, hair, and skin colour, developed at Erasmus MC Rotterdam by...
mRNA / miRNA
Messenger and micro RNA. Forensic RNA profiling uses tissue-specific transcripts of both classes to identify body fluids.
Parabon Snapshot
A commercial DNA phenotyping service (Parabon NanoLabs, Virginia, US) that genotypes thousands of SNPs from a crime-scene sample and uses machine learning...
SNP
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. A one-base variant at a defined position. FDP uses SNP panels, not STRs.

Explained in

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.