30-Sep-2022

Cybergenetics awarded another US patent for error rate determination

Cybergenetics was awarded a second patent for its ground-breaking innovations on finding error rates for match statistics. This United States patent, granted July 12, 2022, is on their "Method, apparatus and computer software program for determining probability of error in identifying evidence" invention.

Scientists generally report error rates in their studies. Under Daubert v. Merrell Dow, judges must consider error rate determination as a factor for reliable scientific evidence that can be used in court. Yet most forensic DNA labs still cannot report error rates for their likelihood ratio (LR) match statistics.

TrueAllele® software can always rapidly (1/100 second) and exactly (1/1000 information unit) report error rates for DNA evidence. This method is described in Cybergenetics' 2018 landmark Heliyon paper on "Efficient construction of match strength distributions for uncertain multi-locus genotypes." Convolving independent loci thoroughly considers a trilliontrillion DNA profiles. Older sampling methods – slower and less precise – are limited to just thousands.

The latest TrueAllele version includes a new Distribution module. This visual genotype interface can essentially compare DNA evidence with the profiles of everyone on Earth. The resulting match strength distribution curve fully reveals the genotype's LR behavior. TrueAllele's VUIer™ software then instantly delivers accurate error rates for any match statistic – whether inclusionary or exclusionary.