fig5

From: Advances in sudden unexplained death: novel insights into technical innovations and their applications in forensic investigation

Figure 5. Integrated workflow for the forensic investigation of SUD. The diagram illustrates a stepwise approach beginning with virtual autopsy, followed by conventional autopsy and molecular autopsy using NGS technologies. Positive genetic findings undergo variant interpretation according to ACMG guidelines, enabling cascade screening of at-risk relatives. Cases with negative or uncertain results proceed to multi-omics analysis (proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics) with AI-assisted integration for comprehensive diagnosis. Created in BioRender. qi, M. (2026) https://BioRender.com/jvfuzo6. COD: Cause of death; PMCT: postmortem computed tomography; PMCTA: postmortem computed tomography angiography; PMMRI: postmortem magnetic resonance imaging; NGS: next-generation sequencing; WES: whole-exome sequencing; WGS: whole-genome sequencing; ACMG: American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics; ML: machine learning; DL: deep learning; SUD: sudden unexplained death; AI: artificial intelligence.