Forensic applications of the genomic matching technique: profiling the alpha block in the major histocompatibility complex

The genomic matching technique (GMT) was developed to characterize polymorphic sequences within the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC), known as polymorphic frozen blocks (PFBs). PFBs are 200–300 kb sequences containing duplications, indels and SNPs. The power of the GMT to differentiate between individuals at the DNA level means that it can be applied as an exclusion tool in forensic science. Here, the GMT is applied to the alpha block in the MHC.