Your questions answered |
| Does
the testing procedure hurt? |
| No.
A mouth swab (buccal swab) is
simply rubbed against the inside
of the mouth to obtain cheek
cells. DNA is then extracted
from the cheek cells. |
| |
| Is
blood more accurate than cheek
cells when testing for parentage? |
| No.
The DNA is the same, regardless
if it is collected from cheek
or blood cells. |
| |
| How
accurate is the DNA test? |
| At
the laboratory we use state
of the art equipment & utilise
only the latest in DNA technology & genomic
amplification. All tests carried
out at the laboratory come
with 99.999% accuracy for
inclusion (i.e. a match) & 100%
accuracy for exclusion (i.e.
no match). We analyse 16 genetic
locations in all the tests
we carry out. |
| |
| Is
there any difference in accuracy
between a Peace of Mind and a
Legally Accredited DNA test? |
| No.
The laboratory procedures are
identical. The difference between
the two types of DNA test is
due to the ‘chain of custody’ of
samples & identity verification
involved in a Legally Accredited
test. The test requires legal
documentation. Participants are
asked to provide 2 forms of Legal
Identification (e.g. Passport,
Driving Licence, Birth Certificate
etc), a passport-sized photo
and a thumbprint is taken. |
| |
| Who
will have access to my information/results? |
| When
a sample is received at the laboratory
it is immediately given a unique
barcode (identification) number.
The details attached to the sample
are entered onto a password only,
encrypted database. Each case
is given a unique reference number.
It is this reference & the
individual sample barcode numbers
that are referred to during the
testing process. The only individual
that has access to your results
and personal details is your
Case Scientist/Manager. All information
held at the laboratory is protected
under the Data Protection Act.
All DNA samples provided are
destroyed after 3 months & all
documentation (Court
tests) is held for up to 2 years. |
| |
| Why
do you need to know the ethnic
group? |
| In
order to calculate the probability
accurately, it is important that
we know the ethnic origin of
the individuals being tested.
This is due to the random match
probability of the genetic markers
(16 in total) used in the test
varying among different ethnic
groups. |
| |
| If
you have any other enquiries
please click
here for our contact information. |
