In The Hague, Netherlands, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has doubled its staff at its newly modernized DNA laboratory in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The ICMP has been actively assisting Ukraine in identifying missing persons.
Speaking to Ukrinform, Lucy Johnson, head of the ICMP’s DNA Laboratories, stated that over the past 18 months, the team had expanded, now consisting of 20 scientists from around the world. She noted that the laboratory had undergone significant expansion, with former office spaces converted into specialized work areas. The entire first floor of the facility now houses six specialized labs, each equipped with advanced technology, which was acquired thanks to generous donor contributions.
Johnson said that the upgrades had made the laboratory more powerful, allowing for a higher volume of sample processing. She explained that they had broadened the range of DNA tests to adapt to different conditions and challenges. With additional space, equipment, and personnel, the laboratory is now capable of handling more samples, whether they were post-mortem remains for missing persons identification or samples from relatives, such as cheek swabs or small hair samples from close biological family members.
Discussing ICMP’s support for Ukraine, Johnson said that the organization had been actively assisting the country in multiple ways. She explained that the ICMP had been receiving both post-mortem samples and DNA samples from relatives in Ukraine and was now able to process them more efficiently. In addition to laboratory work, the ICMP had been sharing expertise by hosting Ukrainian scientists at its headquarters in The Hague and conducting training sessions in Ukraine for professionals involved in missing persons identification.
She also revealed that the ICMP had recently launched a two-year training program in collaboration with Ukrainian authorities, covering every stage of the DNA testing process. The goal of this initiative, she noted, was to develop local expertise and enhance the capabilities of Ukrainian laboratories, ensuring long-term sustainability in DNA identification efforts.
Addressing the challenges of DNA testing in Ukraine, Johnson said that many of the post-mortem remains received were severely burned or charred, making DNA extraction difficult. Since heat damages genetic material, she explained that it was often unclear how long and at what temperature the bones had been exposed. To retrieve the maximum possible genetic information, she noted, multiple testing processes were often required, sometimes necessitating two or three different tests to construct a complete DNA profile for accurate identification.
The expansion and modernization of the laboratory, she added, had been made possible through funding from Germany and Norway.
The official opening of the upgraded DNA laboratory recently took place in The Hague.
Source: Head of ICMP's DNA laboratory discusses support for Ukraine
