Paternity & DNA Testing

When people think of DNA testing, they often associate it with words like reliable, high-tech, and accurate. However, the reality is that DNA testing is only as good as the laboratory that performs the testing. In the absence of a government agency that regulates or oversees DNA family relationship testing, laboratories and consumers rely on accrediting agencies, such as the AABB, to set and hold laboratories to DNA testing quality standards. AABB (previously known as the American Association of Blood Banks) is widely recognized throughout the world as the leading accrediting institution for relationship DNA testing.

So what does AABB accreditation mean for the consumer? It means that:

• The DNA testing performed by the laboratory meets or exceeds industry standards set by a panel of distinguished scientists.
• You can use the AABB accredited DNA test results in legal situations. Government entities such as child support and immigration offices worldwide often require that DNA tests be performed by an AABB-accredited laboratory.
• You are assured when the laboratory maintains its accreditation status year after year that it is committed to total quality–that its staff members are receiving continuing education and that the equipment used are kept up to date and in reliable condition.

DDC has held AABB accreditation since 1996, and has received multiple perfect inspection ratings from various accrediting organizations. In addition to AABB, DDC is also certified to international standards via the ACLASS Accreditation Services (ISO/IEC 17025). For a complete list and description of the various accreditations, visit our Accreditations page.

With DNA technology and equipment becoming more accessible and affordable, many companies are now offering DNA paternity tests. However, DNA testing involves much more than the technique and instrumentation–it requires the experience of qualified scientists, careful laboratory protocols, and client service professionals who understand the needs of clients in their particular situations.

For more information on our AABB accredited DNA testing services, call us at 1-800-613-5768.

At-home DNA testing kit can trace your past, predict your future

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DNA is being used more and more these days to help manage people’s lives and provide for better health. DNA testing allows scientists to predict not only physical traits such as eye and hair color, but also risks for heart disease and cancer. In the last 10 years, technology and DNA testing have allowed us to uncover what causes diseases and how to treat and prevent them. With only some saliva, you can begin uncovering information about your health.

April 25, international DNA Day, marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark publications in Nature announcing the structure of the DNA helix by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and their colleagues.  Since then, the innovations and discoveries made in the field of DNA and genetics have far exceeded everyone’s expectations. The timeline below shows some of the important landmarks in the history of DNA discovery.

1953       The three-dimensional structure of the DNA molecule was deduced. In 1962 Francis Crick, along with his colleagues, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

1958       Arthur Kornberg purified DNA polymerase I from E. coli, the first enzyme that enabled scientists to make multiple copies of a DNA molecule in a test tube.

1972       Paul Berg and Herb Boyer produced the first recombinant DNA molecules (This technique allowed scientists to take DNA from one organism and transfer it to another organism’s DNA).

1977      Fred Sanger developed the now widely-used method for sequencing DNA.

1978       Recombinant human insulin, eventually marketed as Humulin, was created–the first drug made by genetic engineering.

1981      Three independent research teams announced the discovery of human oncogenes (cancer genes).

1984       Alec Jeffreys pioneered DNA fingerprinting, the use of DNA to identify individuals and family relationships.

1985       Kary B. Mullis published a paper describing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the most sensitive assay for DNA yet devised. This greatly increased the rate at which DNA molecules can be duplicated and reproduced in the laboratory.

1987       Tommie Lee Andrews is convicted of rape in Orlando based on DNA fingerprinting–the first such case in the United States.

1988       The Human Genome Project began with the goal of determining the entire sequence of DNA in human chromosomes.

1990      Gene therapy is successfully used on a patient for the first time.

1994      A genetically modified tomato, the delayed-ripening FlavrSavr, gets the approval of the FDA.

1994      The first breast cancer-associated gene was identified.

2000     An initial draft of the human genome is presented. The complete human genome was unveiled in 2003.

2005-current Genome scanning methods are gaining popularity for medical, family research, and other recreational uses.

Visit our History of DNA Testing page to learn more about the development of family relationship DNA testing technology.

Forensic DNA Analysis is outsourced to private labs more often than one would think.

 5 Advantages to Outsourcing DNA Analysis

On the morning of June 27, 2000, Molly Bish went to work as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren, MA just like any other day. This was the last time anyone would see Bish until 3 years later she was found murdered in a remote area of Palmer, MA. Almost 13 years later, on April 14, 2013, it was announced that pieces of untested evidence in the investigation have been sent out of state to a lab in Dallas, Texas for DNA Analysis Testing.

Some may ask why do they do it? Why do they outsource if they have public labs in the state?

According to a 2010 study titled ‘It’s More Complex than You Think: A Chief’s Guide to DNA,’ several advantages factor into the use of private labs to perform DNA analysis.

Private Labs are a Business: Private labs are constantly competing with each other to provide the best service to their clients. Because of this, private labs tend to be more responsive while meeting expectations.

Latest Technologies: Because these labs have a business incentive it helps them stay up to date on the latest technologies. In some cases private lab equipment can be much more advanced than public lab equipment.

Speed: Analysts from private labs may not have the case volume that a public lab would, which opens the door for more attention from analysts. Most labs offer pricing structures that allow for expedited requests. Because of this, high profile cases may be turned around if the agency can cough up the coin.

Communication: Because private labs are—how do you say—private, they can limit communication between the scientists and authorities. As a result of the opportunity for “hindering” is reduced. Simply put, in a private lab, communication is streamlined with the scientist that frees them up for more DNA Analysis. The analysis process is enhanced by infrequent and formal communication between the authorities and scientists.

Accreditation and Auditing: Because the accrediting body certifies private labs, they are subject to frequent audits. This ensures that they maintain their highest standards at all times. Forensic testing labs such as DNA Diagnostics Center have the ASCLD/LAB-International certificate. ASCLD/LAB stands for The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.

There is no doubt that there are some major plusses all around for outsourcing DNA analysis to private labs. However in the case of Molly Bish, authorities have withheld comments on reasons and contents of the DNA outsource. If you are interested in learning more about DNA Analysis testing, analysis and the comprehensive services that our laboratory provide, check us out at DNA Diagnostics Center.

Like many of our clients, you may have questions regarding issues of privacy during the paternity testing process. Here are answers to 5 common questions about privacy in DNA testing:

1. Can I keep my DNA test confidential?
   DDC offers a private home DNA test and a legal paternity test. Both options allow clients to take a paternity test with the highest levels of confidentiality; the difference is that the legal paternity test requires DNA sample collection by a trained technician at one of our DNA sample collection sites. A home DNA test allows clients to collect their own samples in the privacy of their own homes.
   
   In both tests, we employ several security safeguards to ensure that your information is kept private and confidential. For example, we take steps to verify each caller’s identity to ensure that they are authorized to receive any information about a case.
2. How do you keep my contact and other personal information private?
   DDC only uses your contact and personal information to provide the DNA testing service; for example, to arrange sample collection appointments. We do not share your personal and contact information with the other tested parties in a paternity test–we understand that this may sometimes be a concern for some clients. Needless to say, we do not give, sell, or rent your contact information to third parties. In addition, we use state-of-the-art technology to ensure that all testing information is maintained in a secure database.
3. What happens to my DNA after it is tested in the laboratory?
   After the DNA paternity test is complete, DNA samples are destroyed after a holding period according to AABB guidelines.
4. Who has access to my paternity test results?
   Home paternity test results are sent to the person who set up the case. Legal paternity test results are sent to the adult tested parties and any other recipients they authorize, such as a lawyer.
5. Could my DNA end up in a government database?
   No. DNA tests initiated through DNA Diagnostics Center are private and confidential; we do not provide any of your DNA information to government entities unless you direct us to do so.
   
   Some clients may have heard about the CODIS database. In 1994, the DNA Identification Act allowed the creation of a national database of DNA profiles from persons convicted of crimes, as well as the analysis of DNA samples recovered from crime scenes and identified human remains. DNA profiles collected from federal arrestees are now included into this database, as well as samples from individuals whose collection was authorized under state law. Currently, states differ on their guidelines for DNA collection–depending on whether the individual has been convicted or only arrested, for example, and the severity of the crime under investigation.In any case, the DNA profiles collected as part of our paternity testing services are not covered in the scope of the CODIS database.

For more information about privacy in DNA paternity testing, or to consult confidentially with our DNA specialists, please visit our website or call us at 1-800-613-5768.

Recently, our own Dr. Baird joined Trisha Goddard of The Trisha Goddard Show to explore the potential of understanding one’s own ancestry. Trisha and about 20 members of her audience had their DNA profiled and then were allowed to talk about their results versus their expectations.

Though no huge surprises came of the tests, there really isn’t any such thing as a small surprise when it comes to understanding your own ancestry. For instance, the episode featured a man who thought he was 100% African actually had some European Ancestry. A woman, who thought she was 100% Asian, discovered that she has some Indigenous American DNA. These surprises allow individuals and families to better understand themselves in a context that they had never even considered before. Imagine learning of your own unexpected ancestry.

The AncestrybyDNA home DNA test, which is the same test used on The Trisha Goddard Show episode*, allows this same level of insight into your ancestry. Best of all, it starts in your own home.

A home DNA test kit from AncestrybyDNA makes collecting your DNA using a cheek swab easy. After your sample is sent to the laboratory, your DNA is extracted and undergoes analysis for 176 informative markers in our DNA, called Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs), to reveal your genetic similarity with the 4 major ancestral groups. The results typically give you a 95% confidence interval, which is a measure of the statistical strength of the test.

AncestrybyDNA also provides maternal and paternal lineage testing to determine the migration routes that your ancestors took. Also known as haplogroup testing.

Head over to the AncestrybyDNA site to learn more about how you can explore your own ancestry.

* DDC is the exclusive DNA testing provider for The Maury Show, Dr. Phil and The Trisha Goddard Show, as well as most other daytime and court shows.

Frances Crick, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. The medal, along with a selection of other Crick-related items, will be auctioned in April 2013.

The landmark discovery of the double-helix structure by Crick, and his collaborator, James Watson, provided pivotal insight into how organisms carry genetic information. Without the Crick/Watson discovery, our knowledge of how exactly DNA is “packaged” within our cells would be, to put it mildly, lacking. And certainly the technology that allows for DNA testing (including the mind-blowing convenience of a home DNA test) might not exist.

Kindra Crick, Crick’s Granddaughter, noted the medal’s lack of public visibility as a reason for the auction: “It had been tucked away for so long,” she said. “We really were interested in finding someone who could look after it, and possibly put it on display so it could inspire the next generation of scientists.”

Heritage Auctions, along with Crick’s family, plan to use some of the proceeds from the sale of the Nobel Prize medal to fund development of The Francis Crick Institute, which is a medical research facility set to open in London in 2015.

Much has been said about the auction, including the relative lack of precedent for a sale of a Nobel Prize medal. According to LiveScience, “Novel medals appear to have changed hands publicly in only a couple of instances.” This implies a moral question associated with the transaction. What are your thoughts? Should the medal be donated, rather than sold? Should all of the proceeds be donated to the science community? Or should the treatment of the medal remain the right of the Crick family to do with as they please. Let us know on our Facebook page.

Image credit: Heritage Auctions

DDC Veterinary, a division of DNA Diagnostics Center, has expanded its list of available canine coat color DNA tests to include the S locus, an allele that is associated with piebald, parti, or random white spotting among several dog breeds.

Dog breeders often use DNA coat color testing as a tool to identify hidden (recessive) colors. This helps them to better manage their matings and make more informed breeding and selection choices.

Landseer Newfoundland

The S locus is most often found to follow a recessive pattern of inheritance, in which two copies of the piebald allele is required to exhibit the piebald phenotype (white spotting). Examples of this phenotype include the Parti color in Yorkshire Terriers, and the black-and-white Landseer Newfoundland.

However, some dog breeds that possess a single copy of the allele do exhibit limited piebald expression. These include the Collie, Great Dane, Italian Greyhound, Shetland Sheepdog, Boxer, and Bull Terrier.

DDC Veterinary currently offers coat color DNA testing on 8 different loci, including the popular E and B locus tests for Labrador Retrievers. The website offers an easy search tool for dog breeders and owners to determine the DNA tests suitable to their dogs.

Upon receiving an order, DDC Veterinary sends clients a free DNA sample collection kit containing buccal swabs. Results are available within 10 days of sample receipt in the laboratory, and a 5-day expedited service is also available.

For more information about DDC Veterinary’s services, call 1-800-625-0874.

On Valentine’s Day, a woman in Texas gave birth to two sets of identical twins. While 3 out of every 1000 births involve identical twins, the odds of delivering two sets of naturally occurring identical twins (that is, without the use of fertility treatments) is about 1 in 70 million.

Doctors can usually diagnose a twin pregnancy by examining the placenta. In this case, each pair of twins shared a placenta. However, in some cases, identical twins cannot be distinguished from fraternal twins using the placenta alone (see dichorionic diamniotic twins). Parents of twins can request a twin DNA test to determine if the twins are identical or fraternal.

A twin DNA test, also known as a twin zygosity test, compares the DNA of each sibling. Identical twins will have exactly the same DNA profile, and fraternal twins will not. In many cases, parents who request this test have doubts about what they’ve been told at birth as their kids grew up and exhibited identical/nonidentical features. Some parents also were simply not told by their doctor about their twins’ zygosity, or have no access to medical records (for example, if the twins were adopted).

Determining twin zygosity is an important component of a child’s medical history, since the predisposition to genetic diseases will be shared by both twins.

Visit our twin zygosity testing page for more information, or call 1-800-613-5768.

DDC Medical, a division of DNA Diagnostics Center, has signed a distribution deal with Fisher Scientific, a leading global supplier of Life Sciences equipment and services, to offer cell line authentication and Mycoplasma detection services to researchers in North America and Europe. The partnership was launched in Orlando, Florida in late January, and the European launch takes place at Fisher’s annual sales meeting in Estoril, Portugal on Tuesday, February 26.

The call for scientists to authenticate cell lines at key points – by both the NIH and the ATCC – is due to an alarming rate of cell line contamination and misidentification in research involving human cell lines. According to the Wall Street Journal, as much as 36% of known cell lines are contaminated or misidentified. The implications of invalidated studies are especially profound in cancer research, where treatments and diagnoses are dependent upon using the proper materials.

The partnership leverages DDC’s strengths in STR (DNA) profiling and Mycoplasma detection with Fisher Scientific’s highly trained global sales force to provide researchers with high-quality cell line authentication services through knowledgeable sales representatives whom they already know and trust.

DDC’s laboratory is CLIA certified and accredited for ISO 17025:2005 through ACLASS. DDC Medical specializes in testing services for Cell Line Authentication, Mycosplasma Detection, Bio-banking, and non-invasive Prenatal DNA tests. For more information, visit www.ddcmedical.com.