It’s truly amazing to think about just how far-reaching DNA analysis has become since the discovery of the double helix.
Today, DNA profiling is accessible to everyone and is used daily around the world. Better still, advances in DNA technology and analysis mean it is possible to submit your DNA samples for testing without the need for a sample collector to visit your home.
Hundreds of thousands of people use DNA tests to prove that two or more people are biologically related, from paternity and prenatal paternity tests to maternity, grandparent, aunt or uncle, twin, sibling, and Y chromosome tests.
In most cases, all that is required to verify a biological relationship between individuals is a simple cheek (buccal) swab: a quick and painless method of DNA sample collection that lends itself perfectly to home testing.
By swabbing the inside of the cheek to collect buccal (cheek) cells, expert geneticists can analyze and compare DNA samples from two or more people to determine whether they are likely to be related to one another.
At the laboratory, scientists compare the observed DNA profiles from the samples and consider the probability of any potential relationships.
Paternity tests, for example, work by comparing the STR markers of a child with those of the alleged father. With a Brashan DNA Paternity test, secure, password-protected results are emailed the same day or the next day, or three days after the samples arrive in the laboratory.
