Optimal Processing for Proteomic Genotyping of Single Human Hairs

The study developed an optimized proteomic processing method to improve the yield of genetically variant peptides from single human scalp hairs, enhancing forensic identification. By refining reduction, alkylation, and protein digestion conditions, the method increased the average number of detectable peptides from 20 to 73, significantly improving random match probabilities to as high as 1 in 620 million. This approach provided consistent results across various biogeographic backgrounds and introduced algorithms to aid peptide analysis, aiming to standardize forensic protocols and improve the accuracy of human identification using hair evidence.