Home DNA Tests Kits That Use Hair Samples
Home DNA Tests that Use Hair Samples
Thanks to advances in DNA testing technology the use of in-home home DNA tests has skyrocketed with many independent testing laboratories offering home DNA tests for less than $300 in most cases. Many of these home tests involve the use of DNA collected by one of two means: either through buccal swab analysis or through hair samples. In this article we'll look at how home DNA tests use hair samples for DNA analysis and how it is done.
One of the most important things to know about using hair samples for DNA is that in order for DNA to be extracted the hair must contain the root. This means that the hair cannot be cut from the person being examined, it must be plucked. Hair from the subjects head, body or pubic hair can be used as long as the root is intact and present.
Most home DNA testing through hair samples is used to determine paternity or establish a genetic makeup of the subject being tested. Today, with the advances in genetics being made on a daily basis, scientists are learning how to tell a wide variety of information from the DNA that makes up humans. As such, more people are interested in finding out what their genetic markers tell about them – items such as what is their ancestry, what diseases are they susceptible to and what unique characteristics are present within their DNA. As a result of the “need to know” of the public home testing of DNA has become a booming business allowing curious people to discover their genetic makeup and in some cases perform secret paternity tests against an individual.
A typical home DNA test that uses hair samples will come with instructions for you to pluck at least 3 hairs from the subject and place them in a sealed container with a unique identifying code pre-printed onto it. The sample is then sent back to the laboratory where DNA is extracted from the root of the hair tip. That DNA is then used to create the genetic map of the subject being tested. In the case of paternity testing not only are samples of hair captured from the subject believed to be the father, but also from the child and mother. This helps establish genetic markers and mappings that can be used to positively identify paternity with the child.
Most home DNA tests will have results back to the requester within 3 weeks. However, it should be noted that in most states home DNA tests are not permitted as evidence in a court of law. This is primarily because the source of the samples cannot be guaranteed. The hair may have come from anyone and the court has no idea who it is from. Many courts that require DNA tests will conduct their own testing under supervised conditions. Therefore home DNA testing is purely a hobby or “vanity” test that should be used to satisfy your curiosity only and not used for preparing in a legal case.
If you are interested in obtaining a home DNA test you can consult either your local phone book for laboratories in your area that perform this service or go online. There are a number of companies that have a presence on the web that offer free collection kits for hair samples that they will send to you along with free postage paid return envelopes for mailing the samples back. You only pay for the test results which they guarantee will only be shared with you and the person providing the DNA sample. Most of these companies have strict privacy policies that guarantee you they will destroy the data once you have received it to make sure that it is never used or seen without your knowledge.