Vínculos - Kinship Score Calculator

Web application for prioritizing family reference samples in missing person identification through DNA analysis.

Access

• Web: vinculosgen.com
• Mobile: PWA for Android and iOS
• DOI: https://zenodo.org/records/14261194

Description

Vínculos calculates a kinship score that predicts the expected Likelihood Ratio (LR) when comparing genetic profiles using autosomal STR markers. The scoring system shows high correlation expected LR.

Algorithm Schema

class KinshipCalculator {
  static const double SATURATION_15_STR = 12.0;
  static const double SATURATION_22_STR = 20.0;
  
  double totalScore = 0;
  
  void addNode(PedigreeNode node) {
    // Check saturation threshold
    if (totalScore >= getSaturationLimit()) {
      return; // No more contribution
    }
    
    // Check redundancy (descendant already represented)
    if (isRedundant(node)) {
      return; // Block redundant nodes
    }
    
    totalScore += node.getBaseScore();
  }
}

Key Concepts

• Saturation: Score ceiling where additional relatives don't improve LR.
• Redundancy: Relatives already represented through closer family members are blocked

Authors

• Franco Marsico (Universidad de Buenos Aires)

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Franco Marsico

This software is proprietary and confidential. All rights reserved.

Use

The sofware is openly available for:

• Academic research in forensic genetics
• Humanitarian missing person identification efforts
• Non-commercial educational purposes

For any question, contact the author at franco.lmarsico@gmail.com

Citation

Marsico, F., Caridi, I., & Vullo, C. (2024). Guide for interpreting kinship scores for family references in missing person identification. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14684007