Brand New DNA Reader Brings Hope

Ion Proton Sequencer

The "$1,000 genome" is a prediction that has been sought for years.  Being able to read a person's complete genetic information for $1000 would be a great advancement in affordable DNA testing.  A U.S. company on Tuesday achieved that milestone and have already taken the technology even further.

The new genome-sequencing machine is from Ion Torrent a division of Life Technologies Corp., in Guilford, Connecticut.  CEO and chairman Jonathan Rothberg says the new technology is 1000x more powerful than existing tech.

The machine takes up about as much space as a standard office printer.  It can accomplish its task in 24 hours rather than the 6 to 8 weeks required just a few years ago.  This could greatly change medicine in extreme ways.

Called the Ion Proton Sequencer and costing between $99,000 to $150,000 makes it affordable for large clinics or medical practices.  Sequencer from years ago... $750,000. 

Reuters has a great graphic on the decrease in the cost of genome sequencing, see: link.reuters.com/xys85s

DDC Expands Operations

DNA Model

DNA Diagnostics Center keeps growing their operations in the United States.  The Fairfield based company is one of the largest DNA testing facilities in the world and is even bigger today.

Just recently on Monday the company announced it will be expanding its government contract bussiness by acquiring the Dayton, Ohio operations and the fifty employees of Orchid Cellmark Inc.

DNA Diagnostics does testing for parenthood, ancestry and other relationship by private individuals, lawyers, law enforcement officers and immigration officials, and others.  Each year they perform thousands of DNA tests.

DNA Diagnostics has become popular in celebrity circles.  Testing in 2007 by DNA Diagnostics was performed for the late model Anne Nicole Smith and her 6 year old daughter in a cause involving Larry Birkhead.  The company is also featured on popular shows such as the Maury Povich Show and Dateline NBC.

Orchid's labs in Dayton, Ohio will continue to do business as usual.  The labs will eventually be consolidated at DNA Diagnostics's Fairfield facility.

Pileggi Bill Gets OK To Expand DNA Testing in Law Enforcement

Men and women accused of major crimes in Pennsylvania will be ask for DNA testing upon arrest, as oppose  to after a conviction, under a bill the state Senate approved Tuesday.

Existing state law demands people who happen to be convicted of serious felonies to submit to getting a DNA sample taken by a swab on the inside of their cheek. The bill would call for DNA testing right after an arrest is produced, prior to any conviction.

The legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, which now moves towards the Home, was approved by a vote of 42-6 without debate and more than the objections of civil liberties advocates who say it is actually unconstitutional.

It also would expand the list of offenses for which testing is necessary and authorize state police to make use of modified DNA searches to assist investigators uncover unknown DNA evidence from crime scenes.

The bill would also make the list of offenses greater for which DNA testing is required and authorizes state police to make use of modified DNA searchs to assist investigators uncover unknown DNA evidence from active crime scenes.

Pileggi, R-Delaware, mentioned DNA science has advanced quickly in current years. He stated the bill would modernize the state's DNA collection and testing policies, as have the federal government and 26 other states including neighboring Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio.

The new bill would make it illegal for DNA samples from being used for purposes other than for law enforcement to identify and the instance descruption of any DNA records after suspects that may be exonerated at a later date.

Andy Hoover, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, warned that the expanded testing are going to raise DNA testing prices and that it's going to increase the workload in the professional laboratories that manage the samples.

DNA Testing for Athletic Children May not Be The Best Answer

Pretty much every single child dreams of being a expert athlete at some point in his or her life, regardless of whether it is baseball, football, soccer or something else. But now, dad and mom can “prove” no matter if their kid are going to be a professional athlete many years right before they reach puberty, based on an post posted in Sports Illustrated last month.

Parents can send in a small sample of thier child's DNA along with around $200 and just like that companies can test whether or not the child has the potential to excel in a particular sport. The companys say they can help girls and boys of all ages make better life decisions on the sports in which they choose to participate in.

DNA Structure

Sending in these DNA tests is one of worst issues a parent could do to their kid athletically. Yes, the test may possibly be able to tell if your child has organic talent, but these tests can’t put into play the determination and drive that a child could have or just how much practice a kid may well put into the sport.

You will discover two scenarios that could take place with these tests, and neither one leads to the kid completing his or her dream.The very first case is that a kid gets back the outcomes, and they say he or she isn't fit for a specific sport. The child will then most likely give up and quit the sport.

Let’s be honest here. The chances of becoming a specialist athlete are possibly about one in a million, and if the child quits a sport soon after studying that he or she is never going to succeed, it ruins what could have been several years of enjoyment and friendship.

The second scenario could be a child gets back the results, and they say that he or she has the possible to thrive in a particular sport. The young boy or girl might be overjoyed. From that point on, they're not going to perform as tough or practice as much as they would have had they by no means received these results.

Although it could appear to parents that getting this test completed will aid their youngsters, sports DNA testing isn't worth the price these youngsters will spend. There is no reason to take years of athletics away from youngsters just to see if they could succeed in the future.

Let the young children dream to be professional athletes. Let them take pleasure in their childhood years finding bumps and bruises in their sports.

Certainly it will be good to know regardless of whether those countless hours of carrying children from practice to practice will pay dividends in the future. But why give up that smile you see on your son’s face when he scores his first poin or the giggling you hear from your daughter when she receives her 1st sports trophy?

DNA Testing Reveals Construction Worker Was John Wayne Gacy Victim

Police and investigators have waited for time to pass and technology to improve so that they can help identify bodys found under the Gacy home.  A website and hotline was setup for people to file reports and dna based on missing men in the 1970s that may have been killed by Gacy.

It will revealed that George Bundy was one of the 8 unidentified men found under John Gacy's home.  It only took a few weeks after police ask for samples for Bundy to be identified.

John Wayne Gacy

DNA Testing was the only way to identify Bundy's body since there were no dental records available.  The dentist for Bundy went out of business and dental records were destroyed.

Advancements in DNA testing has made testing more accurate with much faster results than in the past.

Read more at ABCnews.com.

Paternity Testing Video from The DNA Testing People

The DNA Testing People have produced a great video on the topic paternity testing.  The video can be found on youtube and on there homepage.

With paternity testing there are two different types of testing.  There is the legal paternity test and then there is the non-legal paternity test.

Both tests are the same except for with a legal paternity test you must go into a laboratory and have a certified worker provide the test.  This ensures that the correct people are being tested and the results are notarized and valid in a court of law.

Non legal paternity testing involves a simple kit that anybody can use.  You do the non invasive swab and send the kit back to be tested.  Everything is taken care of by The DNA Testing People and all you do is wait for the fast results.

Testing is accurate and done in state of the art laboratories.  Peace of mind pricing means you do not have to worry about anything and you save money in the end.  Great customer service and testing that is the best in field means your ensures to received the most accurate results available.

The DNA Testing People

866-663-5822

Police in St. Louis Oppose DNA Testing

The Saint Louis Police Officers' Association are filing a complaint towards the Department to stop an attempt to collect DNA samples provided by police officers, KSDK said in stories.

Police departments in Saint Louis would like to build up DNA samples to eliminate police officers in the event that they inadvertently cross contaminate crime scenes. Association police officers state they by no means opted to provide the samples, that can make known private personal information concerning the police officers and might get mistreated.