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IDENTIGENE Paternity Testing Process

by HOMEDNA on 08/04/2014

If you’re purchasing a paternity test, you’ve no doubt thought a bit about it beforehand. You’ve probably looked into what the process entails, compared prices from various companies and thought about the implications of knowing paternity and how that will change or impact the lives of the people involved in the test.

Legal Paternity Test or Personal Paternity Test?

One other item you may have considered is whether you will need a court-admissible legal paternity test or not. At IDENTIGENE, there is no difference in the way we test samples between a personal home paternity test and a court-admissible legal paternity test. Once you decide on what test you’ll need, follow the directions below if you’re wanting a personal home paternity test or click click here if you want to find out more about our court-admissible option.

A lot of work goes into the DNA paternity testing process from the laboratory side of things, but lucky for you, the process for our customers is a cinch. Below are the basics of how the IDENTIGENE process works from start to finish as well as a few tips that may help you out along the way.

What You Do

1. **Purchase the IDENTIGENE Paternity Test Kit**

First, you’ll need to purchase the IDENTIGENE Paternity Test Kit. You can do this by calling IDENTIGENE, purchasing a kit on our website, or by picking up a kit at select retailers. The kit will cost you about $25, depending on the store you purchase it from. We are located in CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart, nationwide and many independent pharmacies. To find a retailer near you that sells IDENTIGENE Paternity Test Kits, click click here.

2. Collect your DNA samples

Next, you’ll follow the directions of the paternity test kit to collect DNA samples. Fill out a sample envelope for each participant and be sure to fill out the order form. Collect samples from each participant by gently rubbing special buccal swabs included in the kit on the inside of the cheek for 30 seconds to collect cells. Place sample swabs in the corresponding sample envelopes. If the sample envelopes become damp, let them air-dry before putting them in the mailing envelope.

**3. Mail paternity testing samples and order form to IDENTIGENE**

Lastly, you’ll mail the samples and order form to IDENTIGENE in the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope included in the kit. It is important to remember that this method of sending samples can take anywhere from 7-10 days to arrive to our lab. If you need your sample to arrive earlier, consider another mailing option such as 1st class USPS or FedEx. Once samples arrive, testing takes two (2) business days. We also have 1-day and same-day results available for an extra fee. If you have questions, please contact us!

Now that you’ve done your part, IDENTIGENE will step in and do the rest. Check out the brief overview of what happens to your samples when they arrive to IDENTIGENE.

What We Do

1. Paternity Test Accessioning

Your samples first arrive to our accessioning department where the information on your sample envelopes and order form are entered into our database. Each sample is assigned a sample number and the group of samples are assigned a case or reference number.

2. DNA Extraction

Once all information has been added to our database, samples are prepared for DNA extraction. During this process, the cheek cells on the sample buccal swab are purified of proteins or contaminants and the DNA is separated from the cell.

3. DNA Amplification

Next, IDENTIGENE laboratory technicians prepare the extracted DNA for amplification by checking plates and samples and pipetting. During the amplification process, DNA segments are duplicated for testing.

4. Analysis

Finally, segments of DNA are compared between the alleged father and child by our genetic scientists. If the mother’s sample is included, her sample will also be used to get results for paternity. A report is then generated and viewable online with your designated password.

We hope this explains the entire process for you, from start to finish!

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions about paternity tests or other DNA testing services, please contact our Client Support Center at 888-404-4363, Mon-Fri from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Our friendly, expert representatives are ready and happy to help. Get answers anytime by visiting our Help Center.

Friends Really Are the Family We Choose

by HOMEDNA on 07/21/2014

A friend, by definition, is someone we know and with whom we share a mutual bond of affection; someone we typically don’t consider as part of our biological families. However, a new study done by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) shows that our friends may actually have some of the same genetics that our fourth-cousins carry. Can you believe it? Your friends have as much relation and similarities as anyone who shares the same great-great-great grandparents.

James Fowler says, “We have more DNA in common with the people we pick as friends than we do with strangers in the same population.” The study reveals we have similarities in our genetic systems not just with our friends, but with strangers as well. Researchers made the discovery after analyzing almost 1.5 million markers of gene variation from around 2,000 people.

But what does this study have to do with paternity testing?

A question often asked at IDENTIGENE by customers is, ‘Why was the alleged father excluded as a biological father if some of his markers line up (or match) with some of the child’s markers?’ As humans, we share so much of our DNA, it would strange to not see some markers line up on occasion. Even if two people are completely unrelated, as the study suggests, they may still have some similar DNA. According to this study, you could send in a complete stranger or friend’s DNA and there would be a possibility of some ‘matches.’

Friends or not, humans in general share 99% of DNA with each other, leaving only 1% of unique DNA to determine biological relationships. When trying to understand your paternity test results, keep in mind the extensive testing process that goes into studying and analyzing the DNA to determine paternity. Extensive testing includes analyzing 15-17 markers, as well as a gender marker for verification.

Let’s take a quick look into the science behind paternity testing through a hypothetical situation. Let’s say your paternity test results give a 0% probability that the man tested is the biological father. But a couple markers match out of the 15-17 tested. The alleged father may have a (10, 12) and (11,13) and the child has a (12,9) and (13,7). You may think that this is a match because both the child and alleged father share markers 12 and 13. Yet, this is just an example of how similar all human DNA can be. It is very common to see some markers ‘match’ between participants even when it was concluded the two are not biologically related.

If 3 markers do not match in DNA testing, the results are concluded as an exclusion (not the father). In order for a relationship to be established, all markers need to have a positive match. And now you know why you love your friends so much…you just might share some of the same DNA!

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions about paternity tests or other DNA testing services, please contact our Client Support Center at 888-404-4363, Mon-Fri from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Our friendly, expert representatives are ready and happy to help. Get answers anytime by visiting our Help Center.

Why Kids Need Dads

by HOMEDNA on 06/30/2014

Any Man can be a Father, but it takes Someone Special to be a Dad

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America, that’s 1 out of 3, live in a father-absent home. Self-esteem, mental health, emotional stability and behavior can be affected by either the love or rejection of a father. There is a special importance to being a dad in a child’s life. Whether a dad is re-married, single, divorced, widowed, gay, straight, adoptive, or a step-dad, what is important is his involvement in a child’s life.

Like Father, Like Son

Children are quick to pick up habits or mimic things that mom and dad do. We have all seen that picture of a boy using his toy lawn mower next to dad’s real lawn mower, or the picture dad took showing the aftermath of a little girl getting into mom’s make-up bag. These are some innocent examples of how children carefully observe their parents’ every day tasks. So how can we be good father figures? When they start getting interested in boys, most girls will look for (or expect) traits that their father possessed.

If dad is kind, loving and respectful, girls will seek the same characteristics in men, because it is what they knew while growing up. Boys will typically model themselves after dad, which explains why boys want to have a car like dad does – or mow the lawn! They look for their father’s approval, copy their behaviors and imitate them as their own characteristics. It is important to realize children will emulate behaviors, whether they are positive or negative.

Father’s Role in Behavior

Studies have shown that children with a father figure in their life will have less of a tendency to experiment with alcohol or drugs. Children who lack father involvement are more likely to drop out of school, and show more behavioral problems and substance abuse.

With a father figure present in their lives, kids tend to do significantly better in school as well earning better grades than with a mother-figure present. This is true for father figures in biological families, stepfathers as well as single-parent fathers. Within a single-mother household, children display a higher level of aggression. Living in a single-mother home can compare to experiencing 5.25 partnership transitions. As teens, the lack of father presence is displayed in other ways. For example, being raised by a single mother raises the probability of teen pregnancy and marrying with less than a high school diploma.

How Distant Fathers Can Become…not so Distant

There are many situations or circumstances in which fathers could be distanced or removed from their families, however, there are still ways that they can maintain a strong and healthy relationship with their children. First, they must understand how important their role is in their children’s lives. With programs and events like “Father-Daughter Dance”, held in prisons by Angela Patton, daughters can bond with their fathers in prison, which is a win-win scenario.

Daughters can get to know their dads and as Angela Patton says, “When fathers are connected to their children, it is less likely that they will return.’ Fathers no longer living with their children due to divorce, living in a different state, serving in the military, or any other circumstance, can still love and show their children how much they care. What may seem as small and insignificant as sending a birthday card really isn’t small or insignificant! Sending a note with loving and nurturing words is a great example of how fathers can continue making an impact on their child’s life.

Once a Father, Always a Father

Humans learn by modeling behavior or social imitation; this is especially true for little kids. Children are the ones most likely to pick up on early patterns or habits that can then affect their character or behavior throughout their life.

It is important that children have both mother and father figures in their lives, if possible. A father figure does not necessarily need to be a biological father. If the father is unresponsive or not able to be present for the child’s life, an uncle, grandfather, or even a family friend can be a father figure to children. Dr. Janet Taylor said it best in an interview with Lisa Davis on “It’s Your Health” network, “A Father’s interaction doesn’t have to happen just in a two-parent household, a father no matter where they are can continue to inquire and be present.. ” INVOLVEMENT is key.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions about paternity tests or other DNA testing services, please contact our Client Support Center at 888-404-4363, Mon-Fri from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Our friendly, expert representatives are ready and happy to help. Get answers anytime by visiting our Help Center.

Sources

“Census.gov.” Census.gov. U.S. Department of Commerce, n.d. Web. 29 June 2016. <http://www.census.gov/en.html>.

“National Center for Fathering.” National Center for Fathering The Consequences of Fatherlessness Comments. National Center for Fathering, n.d. Web. 29 June 2016. <http://www.fathers.com/statistics-and-research/the-consequences-of-fatherlessness/>.

Nauert, Rick, PhD. “Modeling Behavior for Children Has Long-Lasting Effects | Psych Central News.” Psych Central News. Psych Central, 27 May 2010. Web. 29 June 2016. <http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/modeling-behavior-for-children-has-long-lasting-effects/14139.html>.

Patton, Angela. “A Father-daughter Dance … in Prison.” Angela Patton:. Ted Talks, Nov. 2012. Web. 29 June 2016. <http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_patton_a_father_daughter_dance_in_prison?language=en>.