Forensic molecular genetic examination plays a crucial role in identifying individuals and establishing family ties, especially in the context of armed aggression against Ukraine. Capillary electrophoresis in combination with PCR is a modern standard of DNA analysis, which provides high accuracy and sensitivity even when studying degraded and small-quantity biological samples. The need to improve methodological approaches to the analysis of complex samples determines the relevance of this study.

Aim. Disclosure of the issues of capillary electrophoresis in DNA diagnostics in forensic molecular genetic examination.

Materials and methods. During the analysis in the Zaporizhzhia State Scientific Research Expert and Forensic Center, the GeneAmp PCR System2720 and Veriti Pro amplifiers from the company “Applied Biosystems”, genetic analyzers SeqStudio, Applied Biosystems 3500 and 3500XL Applied Biosystems were used. The biological material obtained from repatriations, from the combat zone and samples of buccal epithelium of relatives of missing persons was subject to the study.

Results. When studying samples of biological origin in the molecular research sector of the Zaporizhzhia State Scientific Research Expert and Forensic Center, more than 95 % of high-quality DNA profiles suitable for further identification were obtained. At the same time, when analyzing traces of biological origin, a decrease in the informativeness of the profiles was observed, which is associated with a small amount of biological material, DNA degradation and the presence of mixed DNA profiles. The use of SeqStudio, Applied Biosystems 3500 and 3500XL genetic analyzers allows for simultaneous analysis of 4 to 24 samples within one run, which provides high throughput of the method and the possibility of daily examination of a significant number of objects. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of capillary electrophoresis for practical tasks of forensic molecular genetic examination.

Conclusions. Capillary electrophoresis is a modern and indispensable method in forensic molecular genetic examination, which provides effective identification of a person and establishment of family ties. Further development of DNA extraction methods and expansion of genetic marker panels will contribute to increasing the efficiency of expert studies in Ukraine.