The Basics of DNA Test Kits
Over time and across different countries, several different analysis techniques have been employed for DNA profiling. In North America, the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) procedure is commonly used by the FBI as well as in most commercial applications. All of these DNA tests work by comparing specific regions, or loci, in one's genetic code with those same loci in a separate genome (or database) and then using statistical probability methods to determine the likelihood of a match.
DNA Test Kits offer individuals the ability to collect DNA samples at home, have them professionally analyzed in a laboratory setting, and to receive results within ten days or less. Most products arrive with instructional guides on how to collect and store the samples: these usually involve swabbing your mouth, called buccal samples, or less commonly, collecting one's blood, semen, saliva, or other biological remnants. When performed without contamination, the end results are genomic profiles, which vary in complexity and can be accessed online, that are completely unique to the organisms from which they came.
Accuracy and Response TimesDepending on the type of analysis that is desired, results can be extremely accurate -- over 99% for paternity/maternity cases. You can view the various types of tests here.
The technology is variously performed to determine biological relationships, such as paternity tests, sibling tests, ancestry tests, etc.
Besides testing for biological relationships, testing for genetic markers of certain diseases and hereditary conditions is an often-requested wish that DNA Kits are now starting to fulfill.
And now, the future holds promises of personalized drug-therapy, where patients are treated with medicines or combinations of medicines that are specifically tailored to their unique genetic makeup.
Home DNA Kits prevent the hassle that is involved in going to a potentially expensive clinic or lab, revealing possibly embarrassing information to a stranger, and the feeling that one has little control over the process and results.
Feel free to explore this site to find out the most common uses for these kits, the type of technology that has gone into the testing process, and the latest developments that are bringing us towards a future where our genome might surpass the importance of our blood type.
There are over 70 common drugs that the US Food and Drug Administration suggest should be used following tests for certain genetic markers. By doing so, it makes it easier to predict their efficiency, rate of metabolism, and possible dangerous side effects.
However, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA) and Medco Research Institute, although 98 percent of physicians agreed that the genetic profiles of their patients should precede drug therapy, only 10 percent believed they were adequately informed about how to test their patients for biomarkers.
According to the AMA, physcicians can use around 1200 genetic tests for more than 1000 different diseases. According to a recent survey of 10,000 doctors, only about 13 percent had ordered a test recently.
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