AUGUST 3, 2011
Paternity Testing and Your “Genes”
Recently, news on the DNA front has revolved around the U.S. Court of Appealsโ approval of aย patentย involving genes that are used to evaluate a personโs risk of developing breast cancer. It is common knowledge that we inherit genes from our parents, and you may be wondering if the genes being discussed in the news are the same genes that we look at in a paternity test.
Aย paternity test examines DNA markers, instead of genes. DNA markers are distinct patterns of DNA that are inherited in the same way that genes are inheritedโa child inherits one copy from the mother and one copy from the father.
As you may know, genes are portions of DNA that can determine a personโs physical characteristics, such as eye color. In contrast, the DNA markers we test do not contain this type of information, and so we canโt tell from a paternity test whether you have blue eyes or are predisposed to a certain disease. A paternity test only provides a series of DNA markers that serve as a personโs โgenetic IDโ without pointing to a specific physical, observable trait.
For more information about DNA testing, visitย www.dnacenter.com.
About DNA Diagnostics Centerย (DDC)
DNA Diagnostic Center is the world leader in paternity and relationship testing. We serve healthcare professionals, government agencies, and individuals around the world to determine family relationships with trusted accuracy.
More Questions? Donโt hesitate to call us: weโre here to help!
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