DNA Testing Information and Resources

Free Paternity Test

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:43:09 +0000

Are you in fear of not being able to afford a paternity test? If this is the case, there is nothing to worry about. There are free paternity tests available to help you find out who the real father of your child is.

Why Is A Free Paternity Test Offered?

One reason why there are free tests such as this is that there are a lot of young expectant mothers. If these mothers are not yet established, they will not be able to shoulder the costs of the tests.

Another reason why these tests are free is if they will be used as evidence in court. Due to the legal nature of the need, various companies are contracted to administer these tests to ensure they are not tampered with. This is another reason why these tests are free.

What Is A Paternity Test?

A paternity test is done to accurately determine is a child was fathered by a particular man. This is done through DNA comparison. Through DNA testing, the paternity of a man cannot be denied. It is the most accurate method of finding out if a man is the biological father of a child or not.

There are two types of free tests. These tests are done after the child is born, and the results can quickly be processed.

Here are those 2 tests:

Blood Test

A blood test involves collecting a small sample of blood from the child. With just a small sample of blood, the biological father can be accurately determined.

Buccal Swab

A buccal swab is another free paternity test. Unlike a blood test that requires the collection of blood, with this test, all that has to be done is to enter a sponge or Dacron tipped swab into the child’s mouth. The swab is then rubbed against the inner cheek to collect DNA samples.

The Purpose Of These Tests

There are a lot of purposes behind these tests. Aside from knowing the paternity of a child, there are other medical purposes. One purpose is to find out if the child has any genetic defects. Through this test, it will be known if the child suffers from any abnormalities, which helps its parents prepare.

These tests are also used for legal purposes. In court, these tests are administered to determine if a man is a child’s father or not. In this way, the man cannot deny the child’s financial support and future.

Advantages

When it comes to medicine, parents will know if their unborn child is normal, or if the child has defects. It helps them prepare mentally, and prepare for what lies ahead. In worse case scenarios, a free paternity test helps parents decide whether they want to keep the child or not.

When legal matters are concerned, these tests give men no choice but to support their child. It also gives fathers the right for visitation rights, if the mothers deny the men of their paternal rights.

In any case, free paternity test is the most uncontested method of finding out if a man is the father of a child or not.

Paternity Test Before Birth

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:55:05 +0000

With the rising numbers of children growing up without or not knowing their own fathers, there is a great need for a paternity test before birth. Often times, men deny that they have fathered the child, and women often do not know how to prove it. Thanks to advancements in medicine, these pre-natal paternity tests are readily available.

How Are These Tests Administered?

There are actually two ways to go about these tests. Both tests involve minor surgery that involves minimal risks. These tests have the ability to determine who the father is, through DNA testing. These test can also determine if the child is normal or not, which allows parents to prepare for the future.

Here are those methods:

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

This test can be administered 10 to 13 weeks after the woman’s last period. This test involves invasive surgery to both mother and child, since the child is still inside the womb. A sample of the placental tissue or CVS is gathered for DNA testing.

Amniocentesis

This test can be administered 14 to 16 weeks after the woman’s last period. This test involves inserting a needle into the mother that collects amniotic fluid. This fluid is found in the amniotic sac, which surrounds the developing fetus. This fluid contains fetal tissue that contains the baby’s DNA.

What Are The Risks?

There are a few risks that a paternity test before birth has that you should know about. Just like any medical procedure, there are risks involved. These risks include cramping, bleeding, and harm to the child inside the womb. This is why you should make sure that a trained and reputable professional is administering the procedure.

What Is The Purpose Of These Tests

There are a growing number of children abandoned by their fathers even before they are born. This leaves the mothers no choice, but to shoulder the financial support that was supposed to be shouldered by both parents. To avoid this from happening, the test determines who the father is. This prevents the father from denying the unborn child his responsibilities.

Initially, these tests were administered to determine through DNA testing, if the unborn child have any genetic abnormalities. In some cases, the pregnancy poses risks to both mother and child. A paternity test before birth enables the parents to take the necessary action to ensure both the child and mother’s safety.

What Are The Advantages?

Before these men can run away from their responsibilities, a paternity test before birth will enable the woman to take legal action, and get the child support that she needs. This prevents the possibility of financial strain to the expectant mother, and ensures a better future for the unborn child. This also lessens the stress of the expectant mother. We all know how stress can affect the development of the unborn child.

In any case, these tests will make sure that mother and child are in perfect health. A paternity test before birth also ensures that a father does not run away from his responsibilities.

At Home Paternity Test

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:55:58 +0000

For a lot of men, it is important to know if the child presented to you is really your own. One way of making sure is through an at home paternity test. These tests are simple to do, and will give you accurate results in a matter of a few days.

Why Do A Lot Of Men Prefer To Administer These Tests At Home?

Aside from knowing for a fact if the child is of your own blood, there are a lot of other reasons why men prefer to take these tests home, and administer these tests themselves.

One reason would be privacy. There are a lot of men who value their privacy, and these tests allow them this freedom.

Another reason would be the sensitivity of the matter. There are men who prefer to keep these tests to themselves, until they get the results.

For whatever reason they may have, administering the test in the comforts of their own home is more ideal. There will not be any prying eyes, and there is no possibility of bumping into someone you know, which may turn out to be an awkward situation.

How Is An At Home Paternity Test Done?

The tests have easy to follow instructions and are easy to do. All you have to do is purchase these kits off the shelf in your local pharmacy. Then, you take the kit home, and label the envelope provided in the package. After this, all you have to do is rub the swab on the walls of your inner cheeks, and enter the swab in the labeled envelope. The last step is to mail the DNA sample to the address provided in the package. After this, all you have to do is to wait for at least 3 days for the results to come out.

The Difference From Other Paternity Tests

There are a couple of differences between conventional paternity tests and an at home paternity test.

One obvious difference would be that conventional tests are done in medical facilities, labs, or hospitals and these tests are done from the privacy of your own home.

Another difference is how they would hold up in court. Since these tests are done in an individual’s home, courts cannot verify their validity. The reason behind this is that there is no facilitator and these tests can easily be tampered with.

What Are The Benefits Of An At Home Paternity Test?

One benefit would be that you can keep this issue private. For whatever reason they may have, these tests keep things quiet. Another benefit would be practicality. Compared to past DNA tests, these tests are much more within everyone’s price range. The last benefit would be convenience. You don’t have to set up an appointment, and you will be on your own time.

These tests are precise and accurate, and allow you to keep things from blowing out of proportion. This is what a lot of men prefer. An at home paternity test will let you know if you have fathered a child or not.

DNA Testing

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:40:03 +0000

What is DNA testing?

Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the genetic material in most of the living beings on planet world. Each individual has a unique set of DNA which is also a characteristic or profile of that individual. In forensic science the need for identifying a person through his genetic basis aroused when no other clue was left which could give proper details related to that person. Based on this requirement of the forensic sciences a technique called DNA testing was developed in which a person is identified by the patterns of his or her DNA. As no two individuals can ever have the same DNA this technique proved great help in solving many crucial cases and also led to many important discoveries.

The other names that have been given to this technique of DNA testing are DNA profiling, DNA typing and also Genetic fingerprinting. All of these terms indicate the same technique and methodologies. Since this technique is based on the DNA profiles it is important to know what DNA profiles are to understand the mechanism of this technique. The entire DNA Built of an individual is in the set of an encrypted language this is termed as DNA profiles. These DNA profiles are the genetic identity of a person and this is the code which differentiates us from the rest of the world.

In the human body only a 0.1% of the DNA is different from the other person. Almost 99.9% of the DNA is alike in all the humans. But this mere difference of 0.1% makes every individual dissimilar. For this technique of DNA testing VNTR’s are used. VNTR are Variable number tandem repeats. These are the DNA profiles which are variable and repetitive in the entire DNA of the person. The loci of VNTR can never be similar in two unrelated people. All this basic information is used for DNA testing of a person.

How it is done?

The course of action for DNA testing of a person is initiated by simply taking the sample of DNA of a person. Buccal swab is used for collecting DNA sample so that the reference sample does not gets contaminated any how. The DNA of another person (Supposed to be his relative) is also taken so that later comparisons can be made whether the person examined is linked to that person or not. After collecting the reference samples techniques like PCR, RFLP analysis, STR analysis are used for making a DNA profile of that person.

RFLP analysis: This was the most primitive method for profiling a person’s DNA which made use of restriction enzymes and then later the technique of southern blotting. This technique was overall very arduous and this is why it was later reinstated with PCR assays.

PCR analysis: The discovery of this method for DNA testing greatly reduced the complexity of the entire procedure and also improved the final outcome. PCR is polymerase chain reaction and in this technique the DNA of the person is amplified greatly which results in the examination of a small part of the DNA perfectly. This method is also sympathetic for identifying the loci of VNTR.

STR analysis: in this method short tandem repeats are used for profiling a person’s DNA using the polymerase chain reactions. Since every individual has different STR’s therefore the identification of STR loci becomes easy through this method.

History of DNA testing

Two breakthroughs in the medical technology ultimately led to the discovery of this highly important and useful technique of DNA testing. Sir Allec Jeffery in the year 1984 discovered the technique of DNA fingerprinting in England and simultaneously in United States of America Kary Mullis developed the technique of polymerase chain reaction. Both of these discoveries were made individually but when the two techniques were used together it resulted out in the invention of the ultimate modus operandi of DNA testing.

In 1986 Sir Jeffreys used DNA for investigating a criminal. Samples which were stained in semen were used for DNA fingerprinting. The final result of this investigation was worth the time invested in this procedure. This is how this entire technique popularized and ultimately gave rise to better techniques like DNA testing.

Types and purpose of DNA testing

Two major types of DNA testing are available up till now. These are:

Mitochondrial DNA Testing
Y Chromosome Testing

Through the technique of mitochondrial DNA testing the maternity history of a person can be found out. In this the three regions coding region, HVR2 and HVR1 are tested. A hyper variable region signifies for the areas where more VNTR are available.

Y Chromosome DNA testing is used to the paternal history of a person. Y chromosome decodes the information that is only passed to a son from his father in the form of his Y chromosome.

The purpose of DNA testing is found majorly in identifying the suspects of a crime. DNA testing is mostly used in the forensic science for solving a case. The links between two people are identified through their DNA genetic basis. This technique has helped in solving many cases. In cases of murder, rape and accidents DNA testing technique is of great use because it helps in solving the case with great ease. A culprit can never runaway from his own DNA information. The DNA helps in getting that criminal caught which ultimately leads to a solution.

This is why DNA testing is regarded to be a major discovery in the world of forensic science. It is simplified the way cases were solved. This technique has also helped scientists in making the DNA genome of a person and also in coding and decoding the various bases and base pairs in a DNA. New techniques are added from time to time for updating this method of DNA testing and for making it more reliable and accurate. DNA testing is therefore a great tool for the world of forensic science as no culprit can run away from them now.