Paternity & DNA Testing

DDC announced today its partnership with the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, among others, to provide authentication DNA testing services for cell lines used in research. These services are part of researchers’ strategic response to the new guidelines issued to combat cell line misidentification and contamination that have led to invalidated studies in human research.

DDC has provides STR cell line verification as well as mycoplasma detection services. It can also detect mouse feeder cell contamination. General recommendations for cell line authentication calls for testing in the following situations:

• When a new line is first established or received.
• As a control measure at the start of a new study and concluding a study.
• At least once every 6 months in active culture.
• Before freezing down for storage.
• When unexpected results occur.

For more information about this service, including order and shipping forms, visit our Cell Line Authentication page. DDC provides free shipping for sample sizes of 50 or more.

DDC serves all types of clients, from the private individual seeking to quietly solve a family question, to agencies and attorneys who are seeking testing for the clients we represent. For this article, we’re highlighting our DNA testing services for Legal Professionals.

DDC’s Legal Services team has worked with legal professionals for almost two decades, providing them with the detailed information and paperwork needed to move a case involving a DNA test. The legal situations we have served are varied and complex, but most can be classified into the following categories:

• Family Law – cases usually involve paternity testing to address questions in the resolution of child custody, child support, and divorce proceedings.
• Estate Planning and Execution – cases involve DNA banking and profiling as part of an integrated estate management plan, as well as postmortem DNA testing when disputes arise during execution of an estate.
• Immigration – cases most often involve family relationship DNA testing to answer questions about the relationship between a petitioner and immigration sponsor.
• Adoption and Assisted Reproduction – cases can range from paternity testing needed to release parental rights, DNA testing to satisfy international adoption requirements, DNA testing in surrogacy/assisted reproduction cases, and reunification.

If you are a legal professional or caseworker and would like to receive more information, please contact us at 1-800-330-7648,  or email thavlin@dnacenter.com.

As reported by several news sources and WebMD, another study has validated the use of fetal DNA circulating in the mother’s blood for a paternity test. Known as non-invasive prenatal paternity testing, the test allows women to undergo a paternity test before the baby is born, while eliminating the need for an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling—procedures which carry a risk for miscarriage.

The authors of the study tested the procedure on 30 pregnant women who were between 8 and 14 weeks in their pregnancy. They collected blood samples, separated the fetal DNA in the mother’s blood, and compared it with blood collected from the biological father along with blood from 29 other unrelated men. In each case, the biological father was correctly determined by the procedure.

DDC has offered the non-invasive prenatal paternity test since August of last year. For more information, visit our prenatal DNA testing page, which features a video explaining the process. You can also call 1-800-613-5768 for a free consultation.