The impact of motherless paternity testing in a South African population.

Background: Paternity investigations play an important role in determining biological relatedness, and in South Africa, the outcome of these investigations impacts medical, judicial and home affairs decisions. Short Tandem Repeat (STR) analysis is utilised to perform paternity and kinship analysis, due to the polymorphic nature of STR loci. The cost associated with paternity testing is high, and there is a demand for motherless testing.

Molecular characterisation of and mutations in a central South African adult acute myeloid leukaemia cohort.

Background: Recognition of molecular abnormalities in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) has improved our understanding of its biology. and ITD mutations are recurrent in AML and clinically significant. mutations are associated with a favourable prognosis, while ITD mutations are an independent poor prognostic factor in AML.

HLA major allele group frequencies in a diverse population of the Free State Province, South Africa.

Background: Human Leucocyte Antigens (HLA) play a vital role in disease pathogenesis and transplant rejection. HLA-typing is a useful tool in predicting disease progression and to identify potential organ donors. Due to human migration and known ethnic variation, frequent targeted HLA sequencing of specific populations is crucial to increase their representation in global reference panels.