Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies Relationship Testing Statistical Calculation Training Module 2

AABB’s Relationship Testing Statistical Calculation Training Module 2 focuses on non-parentage kinship calculations for laboratory scientists and forensic analysts. Its four units progress from full-sibling comparisons to half-sibling, avuncular, and grandparentage testing, then to sibling analyses involving three or more people. Learners work with kinship indices, relationship probabilities, and statements of uncertainty when interpreting and reporting results. The program assumes prior knowledge of basic parentage calculations involving duos and trios. Designed for self-paced study, the original course estimates six to eight hours of work and describes videos, MP3 audio, worksheets, and handouts as its learning materials.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the derivation of the kinship index.
• Perform two-party calculations for siblings, half-siblings, avuncular, and single grandparentage.
• Write a statement of the estimation of uncertainty for two-party kinship calculations.
• Perform kinship calculations with three or more people.

• Calculate the probability of relationship (W).

The original AABB course included a 25-question quiz with an 80% passing threshold, an evaluation, one-year platform access, and eight CE contact hours for eligible participants. Those provider services and credits are not included with these store files. The original course is not eligible for physician CME.

Topics

The course is divided into four distinct units, each building upon the prior one to establish a comprehensive understanding of non-parentage kinship calculations:

• Unit 1: Introduction to Kinship Analysis: Calculation of the Kinship Index for Full Sibling Pairs

  • Discuss the degrees of biological relationships and the principles used in DNA-based kinship testing.

  • Perform two-party calculations to evaluate alleged full sibling relationships.

• Unit 2: Second Degree Two Parties Kinship Testing: Half siblings, Aunt/Uncle, Nephew/Niece and Grandparent and Grandchild. Reporting Results for Two Party Testing

  • Describe second degree relationships.

  • Perform two-party calculations for half siblings, avuncular and single grandparent.

  • Write a statement of the estimation of uncertainty for two-party calculations when reporting results.

• Unit 3: Grandparentage with Two Grandparents and Grandchild with and without the Mother

  • Reconstruct a missing parent’s genotype using his or her parents.

  • Perform Grandparentage calculations using both grandparents.

  • Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Grandparentage testing.

• Unit 4: Testing with More than Two People in Sibling Relationships (Full and Half Siblings)

  • Describe testing with an acknowledged (undisputed) parent when a sibling relationship is questioned.

  • Perform calculations to determine full and half sibling relationships with three or more parties.

Faculty

The program is presented by the AABB Relationship Testing Accreditation Committee.

Key faculty include:

Hristina Lekova, MS

• Supervisor, Parentage and ID Department
• Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office

John Peterson, PhD

• Laboratory Director
• DNA Diagnostics Center

George C. Maha, JD, PhD, MT(ASCP), A(ABHI)

• Laboratory Director – Retired

AABB staff contributors include:

Marsha Deitz, MBA, MLS(ASCP), CQA(ASQ)

• Director, Relationship Testing and Forensics

Barbara Llewellyn, PhD, MS, MB(ASCP)CM, CQA(ASQ)

• Program Manager, Relationship Testing