Australia: Applying a new DNA testing method with an 79% accuracy rate

Scientists at Queensland University of Technology have developed a new DNA testing method that can aid the identification of hundreds of Australian soldiers who have died in the Asia-Pacific region since the War. World War II.

After nearly 80 years many remains of Australian soldiers are still found in old battlefields like Papua New Guinea. TS Kirsty Wright, a forensic biologist at the Center for Genome Research, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), said that due to inclement weather, most of the remains were highly decomposed, DNA sampling and finding the correct answers from these remains are a challenge.

For decades, with the expertise of a forensic scientist, PhD. Wright has been involved in identifying various cases, such as those killed in the 2002 Bali bombing and the 2004 tsunami. Currently, she and the team at QUT have developed a new DNA testing method that can predict Japanese or Australian remains with an accuracy rate of 79% compared to current mitochondrial DNA testing methods, only succeeding about 25 %.

Australian troops search for remains in Papua New Guinea.(Source: Department of Defense Australia).

So what have scientists done? TS Wright said the new method was developed by two team members Andrew Ghaiyed and Kyle James, focusing on specific SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in the human genome.'In a 2-meter DNA sequence, in each cell, there are specific DNA fragments that show the origin of each person. We are looking for very small DNA fragments, common in Japan but rare in Australia and vice versa, and we are also looking for DNA that regulates eye color and hair color, '' she said. Wright explained, for example, if the DNA test results showed that a person with blonde hair, blue eyes, could 'be sure it was Australian'.

In the process of developing this method, the scientists were funded by the Australian Army Research Center. The military is expected to test this method to identify the remains of martyrs found in Papua New Guinea.

According to TS. Wright, the first priority in implementing this method is to identify the true source of the soldiers who died.'When we identify them as Australians, they will be buried in the Federal Cemetery, if they are Japanese, they will be moved to Japan. If we make a mistake, we may accidentally send the remains of an Australian back to Japan, or a Japanese soldier will be buried in a Federal Cemetery; so we can't make mistakes, ' she emphasized. When it was proved that the soldiers were Australian soldiers, DNA tests could then identify the remains.

More than 600 Australians were killed and about 1689 were injured along the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Ginea - one of Australia's most important battles during World War II. A number of remains have been discovered in the area at the end of 2012. Karl James, an historian at the Australian War Memorial, said about 160 Australian soldiers were killed in the Kokoda area but were not built.

He said the new DNA testing method was an important development: 'We know that more than 100 Australian soldiers are still considered missing or killed but have not been identified on the Kokoda Trail. So whatever you do now will really bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones, ' he emphasized.

TS James expects new technology to be used to identify the remains of soldiers who died in battlefields and other eras, including World War I.