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360º PERSPECTIVES | ISSUE 7 | 2020/2021
DNA test kit but one result in genotyping research project N 2018, the Forensic DNA Laboratory at the
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University of the Western Cape, Inqaba Biotechnical Industries (Inqaba Biotec), the Lesotho Police and the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe unveiled the first DNA test kit prototype with the potential to help eliminate male perpetrator suspects in sexual assault cases in the Southern African region. The test kit could not only help police reduce suspect pools in sexual assault cases, but also the time and resources spent on narrowing down the suspect list in subsequent investigations. The UniQ-Typer™ Y-10 kit prototype uses 10 genetic markers found on the Y chromosome that are able to produce the highest level of discrimination in differentiating one male from another and generate a DNA profile that is
unique to a group of related men. The prototype was developed by the laboratory and Inqaba Biotec and was funded by UWC, Inqaba Biotec, the National Research Foundation, the Technology Innovation Agency and BioFISA. “We were able to identify 10 markers on the Y chromosome with short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) with a high variation from individual to individual after a larger screening using 45 markers,” explains Professor Maria Eugenia D’Amato, a population geneticist and forensic scientist, and head of the laboratory, which is based in the Department of Biotechnology. Chromosomes are made up of genes that contain genetic material called DNA. A marker is a known region on the chromosome that is highly variable and can thus be used to identify individuals. Currently, the South African Police Service (SAPS) uses kits that
