Jiarong Zhang

Area of research

Molecular Biology · Genetics

Research interest

Research topics from publications: Predicting the postmortem interval of burial cadavers based on microbial community succession; Forensic nanopore sequencing of STRs and SNPs using Verogen’s ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep Kit and MinION; Development and validation of a multiplex 19 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats typing system for forensic purposes; NASTRA: accurate analysis of short tandem repeat markers by nanopore sequencing with repeat-structure-aware algorithm; DNA typing from skeletal remains: a comparison between capillary electrophoresis and massively parallel sequencing platforms; Pilot validation of on‐field STR typing and human identity testing by MinION nanopore sequencing; Nanopore sequencing of forensic short tandem repeats using QNome of Qitan Technology; Mitochondrial DNA Heteroplasmy of Hair Shaft Using HID Ion GeneStudioTM S5 Sequencing System; AnnCovDB: a manually curated annotation database for mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein; Development and validation of an MPS-based 513-Plex SNP identity panel for degraded forensic samples. Representative work: X-chromosome short tandem repeat (X-STR) markers are a powerful complementary system used for paternity and forensic casework. This study presents the development and validation of a new highly efficient multiplex-fluorescent-labeled 19 X-STR typing system, including DXS10079, DXS101, DXS10135, DXS10162, DXS6795, DXS6800, DXS6803, DXS6807, DXS6809, DXS6810, DXS7133, DXS7423, DXS981, DXS9902, DXS9907, GATA165B12, GATA172D05, GATA31E08 and HPRTB along with sex-typing locus, amelogenin. The system was validated according to guidelines issued by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods. Allele frequency and forensic parameters were investigated from 1085 (494 males and 591 females) u Short-tandem repeats (STRs) are the type of genetic markers extensively utilized in biomedical and forensic applications. Due to sequencing noise in nanopore sequencing, accurate analysis methods are lacking. We developed NASTRA, an innovative tool for Nanopore Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat Analysis, which overcomes traditional database-based methods' limitations and provides a precise germline analysis of STR genetic markers without the need for allele sequence reference. Demonstrating high accuracy in cell line authentication testing and paternity testing, NASTRA significantly surpasses existing met