DNA Testing Services
You may be familiar with the use of DNA from such shows as CSI or Law & Order, or maybe you have had a paternity test done and know the basics behind how they test for fatherhood by analyzing DNA. In this article we'll talk about the different types of DNA testing services available and give a brief introduction to each.
The first type of DNA testing service is also the most common – testing for paternity. Using this service the laboratory takes a sample from the biological mother, child and suspected father to extract DNA from and then use to analyze to see if the subject being tested is indeed the biological father. This is performed either through at-home tests where the samples are mailed in for analysis or through local testing services that perform the sample collection at a local office. Either way the DNA samples are sent through a gel matrix to extract identifying markers that are then used to match up against the suspected father. If the markers match then a positive paternal relationship can be established.
The second most familiar type of DNA testing is what is known as crime scene analysis. You may be familiar with this from watching such shows as CSI on television, but the real science behind this is not as easy or fast as television would have you to believe. Often police have evidence of a crime (hair, bodily fluids, blood) at a crime scene but have no witnesses that can place a specific person at the scene. Through the use of DNA extraction they can get the unique DNA identifier out of that sample and use it to either match against suspects or to help locate possible suspects. DNA is relatively new and matching it against an unknown suspect is difficult in most circumstances. Although the FBI does maintain a nationwide database the process of matching is difficult and the database is by no means complete. The average person would not have their DNA profile stored in such a database. For the majority of cases the DNA is simply used to test against known suspects to help either eliminate them as a suspect or confirm they were involved with the crime.
Ancestry DNA profiling is a newer form of DNA testing but is gaining popularity as one of the curiosity tests that can be performed on DNA samples. Though by no means guaranteed, science has discovered that in segments of the population (European descent, Native Americans, African descent, etc.) unique markers are present in each of these populations. Most of the ancestry tests focus on giving you a percentage of probability for ancestry against known descendent races. Although in its infancy, this type of testing is expected to grow as science makes advances in isolated specific markers within our DNA that are common to groups of people in geographical locations.
A little used DNA testing service is that of helping identifying genetically passed diseases or other issues that pass through family lines. Infants and newborns can be tested to see if they have a specific genetic disease or if they are susceptible to acquiring such a disease. This type of test is not standard for newborns and is only ordered by the doctor if there is reason to believe that the infant may have such a disease that is passed genetically.
Finally, there are a number of lesser-known curiosity DNA tests that can be performed that, like the ancestry test, are not guaranteed and can only provide percentage responses. These include such things like grand-parentage testing, 1 st cousin testing, twin zygosity testing and others. None of these tests are endorsed currently by any medical groups and are strictly for curiosity purposes only.