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The idea is based on using DNA-predicted EVC information to encircle a perpetrator in a larger population of unknown suspects.

Knowledge gained on externally visible characteristics (EVC) from genotype data obtained by examination of crime scene samples may be used for investigative intelligence purposes, especially in suspect-less cases (Kayser and Schneider 2009). Another potential application for prediction of phenotypes from genotypes is forensic science. However, practical application of genome-based information to medicine requires the disease risk to be predicted with high accuracy, while knowledge on genetics of common complex diseases is still insufficient to allow their accurate prediction solely from DNA data (Alaerts and Del-Favero 2009 Chung et al. The concept of personalized medicine assumes that prediction of phenotypes based on genome information can enable better prognosis, prevention and medical care which can be tailored individually (Brand et al. The identified genetic predictors also differentiate reasonably well between similar hair colors, such as between red and blond-red, as well as between blond and dark-blond, highlighting the value of the identified DNA variants for accurate hair color prediction.

We found that a model based on a subset of 13 single or compound genetic markers from 11 genes predicted red hair color with over 0.9, black hair color with almost 0.9, as well as blond, and brown hair color with over 0.8 prevalence-adjusted accuracy expressed by the area under the receiver characteristic operating curves (AUC). We analyzed in Polish Europeans with single-observer hair color grading 45 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 12 genes previously associated with human hair color variation. Here, we demonstrate that human hair color is predictable from DNA variants with similarly high accuracies. One notable exception, although less relevant for medical but important for forensic purposes, is human eye color, for which it has been recently demonstrated that highly accurate prediction is feasible from a small number of DNA variants. Predicting complex human phenotypes from genotypes is the central concept of widely advocated personalized medicine, but so far has rarely led to high accuracies limiting practical applications.