The World's Premier Home Paternity Testing Service

A school district in Florida recently joined hundreds of others across the country in an effort to protect their students. Wakulla County School District provided its students with identification kits that included DNA collection as part of the National Child Identification Program (NCIP).

This program is just one example of the many applications for DNA banking. The families will store their children’s DNA in their homes, but some may turn to a DNA testing laboratory to provide additional services. Through DNA banking services by a laboratory like Beta, a family can be sure that their samples are viable and secure.

Beta’s DNA banking is a painless process in which samples of DNA are collected, typically through painless buccal swabs, and stored in a safe and secure facility for 15 years or until needed. DNA banking is often coupled with DNA profiling services.

In the NCIP kit, DNA is collected and stored for identification use in case of a child disappearing. By having a sample of the child’s DNA on hand, investigators can use the sample as a reference for following leads to the child’s whereabouts. However, because a laboratory is not involved, families cannot confirm that DNA was collected. Additionally, the samples may not be secure in the home.

Our DNA banking services not only secure DNA samples in an environmentally controlled facility, but we also check for the presence of DNA before we prepare for storage. This ensures that your sample is present and safely stored.

DNA banking is also useful for those who are involved in high-risk professions such as firefighters, construction workers, and military personnel.

With the rapid advancement of DNA technology, DNA banking can also prove useful by maintaining DNA samples for future uses, such as for medical testing or detecting inherited diseases.

Some uses for stored DNA may require that the sample was acquired through chain of custody, or legal, DNA banking services. In these situations, Beta’s in-home self-collection kit cannot be used. You can learn more about chain of custody DNA banking by visiting DNA Diagnostics Center.

For more information, visit the DNA Banking page or contact us at 1-800-798-3810.

Did you know that you may be able to gain answers about paternity if the alleged father is unavailable?

Other DNA tests are an option if you cannot undergo a standard paternity test. The most common non-paternity DNA tests for learning more about paternity are grandparentage, siblingship, and genetic reconstruction.

For circumstances where the alleged father’s parents are available, grandparentage DNA testing can be used to help answer questions surrounding paternity. In a grandparentage test, a child’s DNA profile is compared to the mother’s and the alleged father’s parents’ (potentially the child’s paternal grandparents) DNA profiles. The child’s relationship to the alleged father may be better understood if the child’s profile matched the alleged father’s parents’ profiles. However, this match could also be the case if the alleged father’s biological brother were the child’s father.

Siblingship DNA tests can be used when two people believe they share the same biological parents. If two siblings share the same mother, they can use a siblingship test to determine if they also share the same father (and are thus full siblings). Their DNA profiles will be compared to see if they have biological information from the same two parents or only one parent, their mother (if the two have no genetic similarities, the likelihood for them being biologically related is low).

Finally, genetic reconstruction is a more complex DNA test for determining paternity relationships. The DNA profile of the child and the child’s mother will be compared to the profiles of at least two close relatives, such as a full sibling or a biological parent, of the alleged father. If the child’s profile is similar to the profiles of the alleged father’s close relatives, then paternity may be inferred. However, because this test is complicated, it may take more extended DNA testing to definitively determine paternity.

To learn more about these and other DNA tests, visit our Testing Services page now. Also, you can order your paternity tests and other DNA tests by visiting our online order form.

Did you know that silent movie actor Charlie Chaplin is linked to the establishment of paternity test results as court-admissible evidence?

In California in 1943, Chaplin faced a paternity suit from ex-girlfriend and fellow actor Joan Berry. Berry claimed that Chaplin was the father of her daughter. Chaplin and Berry’s daughter underwent a blood test that determined that it was biologically impossible for the two to be related. Despite this information, the blood test results were not admissible in court and Chaplin was named the father of the child and ordered to pay child support until her eighteenth birthday. This ruling was based solely on popular opinion rather on scientific evidence (at the time, Chaplin was scrutinized for his political and personal life).

In 1953, California adopted a law to accept blood tests to determine paternity, paving the way for legitimizing today’s DNA test results. The court also overturned its ruling that named Chaplin as the father of Berry’s daughter. Also, since the advent of DNA testing, blood tests have been less frequently used in paternity cases because DNA tests are most often much more accurate and conclusive.

Because of Chaplin’s notoriety, his paternity case drew much attention to the need for conclusive tests for paternity. It also emphasized the need for discretion when facing questions about paternity. Today, DNA test results are commonly accepted in both legal and personal circles as conclusive and definitive answers to questions of paternity and other family relationships. Through in-home testing, you can gain peace of mind by taking a DNA test in the privacy of your own home.

To learn more about Beta’s paternity and other DNA test services, visit our DNA Testing Services page.

In a recent post, we received the following inquiry about motherless testing:

People around town are saying that my daughter doesn’t look like me. When she was a baby she looked like anyother baby, so it wasnt till she got bigger that people started talking. Some people are even saying that my exwife cheated on me when she had my daughter. I want to do a paternity test to see if my daughter is mine but her mom left town. Can I still have a DNA test done without her? If so, how do I get one? If not, what should I do?

This father’s situation is more common than you may think. There are a number of men who find themselves in the same situation, trying to find answers about their fatherhood when the mothers of their children are not around. The good news is that even without your child’s mother around, you can still take a DNA test to verify your paternity.

To determine paternity, you can undergo what is called a motherless paternity test. In the motherless paternity test, the alleged father and the child are the only ones involved in the DNA test. After you would receive your free DNA collection kit, both you and your child would swab your cheeks using buccal swabs and submit these swabs to be tested.

Beta offers motherless testing. You can order a free kit for this test in the same way you order a standard (trio) paternity DNA test that includes the mother. Simply visit our order form to order your free kit. For the same cost as a trio paternity test, you can take a motherless paternity test and have your results within 3 to 5 business days after the samples are received by our lab.

Recently we posted a blog about AABB’s statement on motherless testing. Although trio testing is preferred, motherless testing can yield accurate and conclusive paternity DNA test results as well. One major difference between the two types of paternity tests, however, is the extent of testing required. Because the mother’s DNA test sample would not be available, motherless paternity tests require extended laboratory analysis, beyond what is normally performed for trio paternity tests. Despite the extra steps required for motherless testing, Beta offers motherless testing at the same cost as trio paternity tests. The extensive DNA testing experience of our laboratory allows us to confidently offer motherless testing at this reasonable cost.

Visit our Testing Services section for more information on paternity tests and our other DNA test services.

Did you know that Beta has an exclusive offer with DDC to meet your legal DNA testing needs?

As you know, Beta offers DNA testing for in-home, private use only. These services are quite useful for quickly and discreetly getting answers to your questions about paternity and family relationships. Our clients turn to us to provide them peace of mind through their DNA test results. However, many of these clients receive their results and decide that they want to pursue legal action, such as child support, child custody, or immigration.

In order to use DNA test results for legal purposes, the test must be performed using strict chain of custody. Chain of custody process requires sample collection by a neutral third party. Because Beta does not offer chain of custody paternity tests, we have partnered with the world-renowned DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC) to provide chain of custody services to meet our clients’ legal needs.

If you have taken a DNA test through Beta and need a chain of custody test, give us a call at 1-800-798-3810. You will receive a special offer of $100 off your test at DDC. Like hundreds of thousands of clients, including Larry Birkhead, you can trust the DNA testing services and results from DDC.

In recent months, much attention has been given to the new non-invasive prenatal testing and its implications for expecting mothers. Although this technology is still in the experimental stages (and thus not a viable option for paternity or other genetic testing yet), it highlights an important characteristic about DNA: A person’s DNA remains unchanged from conception to death. This means that anyone at any age – even before birth – can undergo a paternity test.

When a child is conceived, genetic information from the mother and father combines. At that time, this genetic information instructs every biological aspect of the child’s development, serving a function much like a blueprint in construction. These instructions remain in the child throughout his or her life, essentially unchanged.

This characteristic of DNA is the power behind paternity testing. It allows the freedom of paternity testing at any age, and with the use of prenatal testing, it can be performed even before birth.

Beta’s staff is experienced and able to test DNA samples from patients of any age through our prenatal and standard paternity testing services. Even if mutations occur in someone’s DNA, our trained laboratory staff is able to identify these mutations and use extended testing to ensure that the paternity testing is accurate.

Contact one of our knowledgeable customer service staff members today to learn more about your options for paternity testing.

With the announcement of the discovery of “semi-identical” twins last week, now is an excellent time to review Beta’s twin zygosity test services.

Doctors often identify twins based on the number of placenta present at birth, but sometimes this is overlooked. The twin zygosity test offered by Beta is a useful tool for identifying identical and fraternal twins based on their genetic similarities.

Identical twins result from a mother’s egg being fertilized by one of the father’s sperm and then splitting early in the development of the fetus. In this process, the two embryos that form will develop into two siblings that are essentially genetically identical. They will also share the same placenta. When comparing the genetic profiles of the two siblings, they will match at every marker.

Fraternal twins, who are more common than identical twins, arise from the union of two of a mother’s eggs with two separate sperm from the father. The fertilization of the two eggs typically occurs at the same time, however it is possible for one egg to be fertilized after another. In this way, fraternal twins can in fact have two different fathers. Fraternal twins use separate placentas and are as genetically similar as non-twin siblings.

The newly discovered semi-identical twins are combinations of identical and fraternal twins. They form from the same egg, but the egg is fertilized by two separate sperms, so the twins end up having identical maternal genetics but different paternal genetics. This situation is quite rare and can be accompanied by congenital conditions easily identifiable by medical doctors.

If you or your relatives are twins, you may consider taking a Twin Zygosity Test. To learn more about or to order a Twin Zygosity Test, call us at 1-800-798-3810 today.

If you are searching for a paternity testing company, chances are that this is the first time you’ve been exposed to the DNA testing industry. You are probably encountering many new terms, especially scientific language, that can be confusing as you consider your options.

Some of the most common scientific terms you will run into are DNA marker, STR, and loci (or the singular form, locus). These terms are closely associated with each other, so it can be difficult to determine what they mean and why they are significant.

DNA markers, or genetic markers, are specific DNA segments for certain genetic characteristics. Scientists will identify the types of DNA markers they want to study based on the research they are performing. For paternity testing, scientists will use STRs.

STR stands for short tandem repeat. As the name implies, STRs are short, repeating sequences of DNA. The number of repeats in each sequence is variable from person to person. Because of this variability, STRs are useful for identifying people based on their unique genetic profile (a profile of a person’s DNA markers).

The more DNA markers that are tested, the more accurate a test can be. The international DNA database, CODIS, uses 13 standard markers for DNA testing. Beta routinely tests 16 DNA markers and has the capability to test more if extended testing is necessary.

The term “loci” (which is the plural form of “locus”) comes from the Latin word for “place.” The loci are the locations of genes on the chromosome where DNA testing companies locate and test DNA markers. There are hundreds of loci on most chromosomes.

In short, at specific loci, STRs (which are the DNA markers) are tested by comparing their lengths.

Biologically related individuals will have the same STR lengths at specific loci. In a biologically related trio (mother, child, and father), half of a child’s markers will be the same length as the biological father, and the other half will be the same length as the biological mother.

Learn more about Beta’s paternity testing services and order your free test collection kit by contacting us today.

Recently, the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) released a statement concerning motherless paternity testing. In this statement AABB reiterated the importance of including the mother in a paternity test and the care that should be taken in performing motherless tests.

Motherless paternity tests, which are often used when a mother is missing or deceased, typically yield conclusive results but can be difficult to analyze, particularly in cases where extended testing is necessary. As discussed last week, DNA experts test a standard set of markers or locations of DNA for each case. These markers analyze both the mother’s and the alleged father’s genetic contributions to the child. When the mother is not included in a paternity test, part of the information at those markers to compare to the child’s DNA is missing and only the alleged father’s potential contribution is considered.

Experts in DNA testing can typically determine paternity without the mother, though it can prove difficult in cases of genetic mutation or related alleged fathers. This is why it is important that you choose a laboratory experienced in DNA testing with exceptional laboratory resources. To ensure that the results of a motherless test are accurate, it is important that you choose a company that employs experienced scientists and provides extended testing when necessary.

In addition to discussing potential problems with motherless test results, AABB elaborated on the inclusion of mothers in DNA testing as a tool for quality control. Even in cases where maternity is not in question, DNA from the biological mother can help the lab confirm relationships and more easily identify or refute an alleged biological relationship between a man and a child. In this capacity, testing the mother’s DNA can curb fraud cases, such as welfare and child support fraud, which are known to involve paternity tests.

When considering a paternity test, choose a test that includes the mother if possible. If you must choose a motherless test, be sure to use the services of a company that is highly trained and experienced in DNA testing and that is able to perform extended testing as necessary.

On the Beta Paternity website, we state:

“Our testing is so powerful that we can guarantee [a] probability of paternity [of] 99.9999% for all cases in which the mother, alleged father, and child are all tested”

But what does “99.9999% probability of paternity” mean?

Probability of paternity, as reported on paternity test results, represents the chance or certainty that an alleged father is the biological father of a child, as compared to a random untested male in the same population. This number is based on the combined paternity index (CPI), a statistical value reported on DNA test results.

A probability of paternity of 99.9999% means that there is 1,000,000 to 1 certainty that the tested alleged father is the biological father of the child.

To determine the probability of paternity, our DNA analysts must first compare the length of specific genetic markers between the alleged father, the mother, and the child to determine paternity indices (PI). A paternity index is generated for 15 of the 16 standard markers examined (the 16th marker is a gender marker that has no PI). When the child has the same length of genetic marker as the alleged father, the PI will be above 0 (if it is not the same, the PI will be 0). After all of the markers are compared and the PI generated, the CPI is determined by combining these PI.

In trio paternity tests, the CPI is typically 0 for an exclusion or very high (often above 500,000) for an inclusion. The CPI is an important value, as it is converted to determine the probability of paternity.

Specifically:

Probability of Paternity = (100 x (1 – 1/CPI))%

This yields a percentage equal to the likelihood that the alleged father is the biological father of the child.

If you have a CPI of 1,000,000, you can determine that the probability of paternity is 99.9999%. This means that it is 99.9999% likely that the alleged father is the biological father of the child.

Beta is dedicated to using state-of-the-art technology and expert knowledge to provide you with the highest quality DNA testing. This is why we can guarantee such conclusive results. To learn more about our DNA testing services, call one of our testing specialists today at 1-800-798-3810.