Title

P038 – Collaborative Capacity Building in Vietnam: Transferring Hybridization Capture Competence Across Laboratories

10:49
Wednesday August 19th
Station 08
Duration: 12 minutes 
03. Human identification
Lisa Vangeel

Following the 1955–1975 conflict in Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of human remains are still unidentified. DNA-based identification efforts are challenged by extreme DNA degradation, contaminating microbial DNA, and the reliance on distant relatives as references. In response, a collaboration between the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) was established to strengthen national technical capacity. Building on ICMP’s expertise, the partnership focusses on evaluating scientific workflows, while promoting knowledge transfer between laboratories.

This poster presents the outcomes of a hybridization capture (HC) training program and demonstrates that, when supported by appropriate educational tools, trainees acquire the skills needed to cascade this knowledge to their colleagues and implement a complex workflow within their own laboratories. This HC training program was developed using an instructional design approach for adult learners, ensuring the program is designed, developed, and implemented systematically while working closely with trainees to meet the learning objectives. As part of this, the training program was accessible for non-native English speakers to maximize engagement. Trainees were required to complete a self-directed theoretical learning component prior to the in-person training to build foundational knowledge in the HC workflow. This component included a reading package, explainer videos with Vietnamese subtitles, and quizzes designed to assess knowledge acquisition. The laboratory-based training component aimed to demonstrate ICMP’s HC workflow to the trainees and equip them with hands-on experience in its application. Both theoretical knowledge and practical skills were measured using various assessment tools throughout the training program.

The assessment tools showed that the trainees successfully obtained foundational knowledge of the HC workflow. During the laboratory training, practical evaluations showed that the trainees could perform the key steps of the protocol. The same training approach was implemented at VAST, where three additional scientists received both theoretical instruction and hands-on laboratory training, highlighting that knowledge was successfully cascaded. Sequencing data generated at ICMP and VAST showed consistent performance, with comparable SNP recovery, mapping rates, and on-target capture efficiency. Since completing the training, VAST has further processed highly degraded Vietnamese DNA samples using the HC workflow, all of which were successfully sequenced and analyzed.

Overall, the training enabled the successful transfer and implementation of the HC workflow from ICMP to VAST and contributed to building local capacity for DNA-based identification in Vietnam.

Authors

  • Lisa Vangeel (International Commission on Missing Persons, Netherlands)
  • Emily Louise Hudson (International Commission on Missing Persons, Netherlands)
  • Anna Ivanova (International Commission on Missing Persons, Netherlands)
  • Thuong Thi Ho (Centre for DNA Identification, Institute of Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam)
  • Phong Hoang Do (Centre for DNA Identification, Institute of Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam)
  • Anh Phuong Nguyen (Centre for DNA Identification, Institute of Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam)

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