DNA testing is not just for CSI anymore. A person’s DNA is absolutely unique to that individual and can be used for identification with greater certainty than even fingerprints. A person’s DNA also carries the genetic markers of everyone that individual is related to back through millennia which make DNA testing useful for establishing paternity or tracing your ancestry. The DNA located throughout the human body including in the skin, bone, teeth, and blood is identical in form and may collected from any of those sites. As DNA collection technology has simplified, several commercial labs now provide a kit that lets you collect a DNA sample yourself and send it to the laboratory for analysis.

DNA is an acronym that stands for DeoxyriboNucleicAcid. The DNA molecule consists of a long twisted spiral or string of polymers called a double helix. In the body, DNA is organized into structures called chromosomes that are duplicated before cells divide and are then passed on to an embryo. More then 99% of DNA is identical between humans. However, there are unique strings of polymers in DNA in known locations and these 12 to 16 strings are used in DNA testing to establish genetic matches.
One type of DNA testing that you can conduct in the privacy of your home is a paternity test. The DNA testing kit includes DNA collection apparatus usually a buccal or cheek swab, simple instructions and a pre-paid return envelope to return the samples to the laboratory for analysis. Collecting the sample is easy and painless. The pricing of paternity DNA test kits range from $99 to $190 and results can be known in as little as three days.

The other type of kit is for Genealogy DNA testing at home and is available from several companies, including the National Geographic Genomic project. The costs of Genealogy analysis are around $100 to $125 dollars and they measure either regular DNA, for males or mitochondrial DNA for females as a way of showing you where your ancestors came from. When the analysis is complete, you may receive both a written report and a map that tells you where your ancestors traveled from your origins in Africa tens of thousands of years ago.

Doing the DNA Testing at Home

Doing the DNA buccal testing at home is simple. It is often done in two parts. The steps to doing DNA tests at home are as follows:
1. Rinse your mouth with water to clean out food particles.
2. Take the swab, which is actually a brush and brush the inside of the cheeks for at least one minute.
3. Place the swab in the provided test tube and then into the envelope.
4. On a different day, repeat the same steps one through three and seal the envelope.
5. Mail the envelope to the company.
6. The results can take as little as three days or as long as 6 weeks.

If secrecy is essential, some companies such as DNA Solutions, will accept used toothbrushes and Q tips with earwax on them for paternity or other tests that are done in secret without the individual knowing he or she is being tested.

There are many reasons that you may want to perform home DNA testing including: family relationship testing to determine grand parentage and siblingship, especially when one or more parents are unavailable; determining full or half siblings; reconstructive testing to determine the father of a child by examining the other close family members. In cases of adoption or separation, maternity testing may be warranted. Twin zygosity is done whenever it is unclear whether twins are identical or fraternal. Or, you may want to bank or store your DNA for comparison in case of unexpected future events, such as if you become a missing person or are killed under questionable circumstances.
DNA testing at home is a valuable resource that offers anyone wanting to know DNA relationships within their family a simple and inexpensive method to do so.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2009 at 4:12 am.