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A Mountain View, Calif., man will finally be able to celebrate this Father’s Day after a 15-year-long battle to find and secure U.S. citizenship for his long-lost daughter from the Philippines. To celebrate Father’s Day, DNA Diagnostics Center paid off his DNA testing fees, just days before his daughter’s deadline for immigration was up.

Michael Skipwith knew he had fathered a daughter while stationed at Subic Naval Base in the Philippines in 1992; his child was due to be born in November that year, but in October, Skipwith was transferred from Subic and never heard from the mother of his child again. He spent ten years searching for his daughter Michelle, and another five years petitioning American Citizen Services for her citizenship.

The last step in the immigration application process was a DNA test that would prove that Skipwith and Michelle, now 16, are in fact father and daughter–a fact American Citizen Services requested to be biologically proven through a DNA test before they would approve the application for immigration.

On June 6, Michael Skipwith received a phone call from DNA Diagnostics Center, the DNA laboratory he initially contacted in April to perform this requested immigration DNA test. DDC had paid off the remaining balance on his case’s account as part of their annual “Father’s Day for All Fathers” campaign. Skipwith’s previous balance was reduced to zero, and DDC further assisted him by immediately forwarding the DNA test results to the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines capital of Manila.

“I’ve spent a lot of money in the past five, six years, thousands of dollars I just didn’t have,” Skipwith says. “I wasn’t able to pay for the test all at once. Last week, the U.S. Embassy said if we didn’t have the results by the 12th of June, we would have to reapply. Then Jason (from DDC) calls, and he just wanted to forgive the whole balance. He was the greatest luck we’ve had, because all they (U.S. Immigration Services) were waiting on was the DNA. Now they are ready to issue her the Passport, and she can apply for citizenship.”

DDC does not release DNA test results until the testing fee balance has been paid off, which meant that Skipwith and his daughter’s immigration case could not move forward. Based on Skipwith’s case history and financial circumstance, as well as the looming June 12 deadline for his daughter’s immigration paperwork, DDC decided he was the perfect candidate for their annual “Father’s Day for All Fathers” balance relief program that DDC spearheads every June.

“When forgiving balances before Father’s Day, we hope to contact those with a great need and Mr. Skipwith certainly fell into that category. His years of determination show his strong desire to provide his daughter the opportunities being an American citizen brings,” Client Care Manager Jason Judd said. “It was our pleasure to not only perform the test, but also to ensure he received the results before the deadline.”

Skipwith will be reunited with his daughter for the first time this summer. He leaves for a trip to the Philippines on June 27. Michelle will not move to the U.S. with him right away, Skipwith says, but will wait until her academic year in the Philippines is over.

One of the most common questions DDC’s client care team receives is regarding cost. Understandably, our clients want to be sure they are receiving a high-quality, accurate and reliable DNA test that is right for them, at a price they can afford.

DDC’s standard DNA paternity test fee is $475. This standard paternity test is also known as a “Trio Test,” because it consists of testing three people—the child, the mother and one alleged father. (The price is the same for a test without the mother, but it is strongly recommended that she participate in the testing if possible so our scientists can more precisely compare half the child’s DNA to the alleged father.)

Our clients often say they choose DDC because—for something so important and life-changing as a DNA test—paying for a cheaper test while being unsure of the lab’s quality or of the test results’ accuracy is not a risk they are willing to take. They choose DDC because of our many advantages, including our proven accuracy and expertise, our fast turnaround times, and our accessibility.

There are several things to take into account if you are comparing prices of DNA tests throughout the industry.

1. DNA Diagnostics Center is a fully accredited laboratory. Many labs claim to be accredited by organizations like the AABB, but some actually barely meet the standards these organizations require, or often, do not meet them at all, because their focus is on cutting costs rather than on quality. To view all of DDC’s laboratory accreditations and awards, please visit our accreditations page.

2. All of our DNA tests are legally defensible, which means they are recognized by U.S. courts nationwide and government agencies around the world. In order to produce DNA tests that the courts recognize as valid and accurate, DDC must follow very strict procedures called “the chain of custody” to preserve DNA samples and guarantee the results are 100 percent accurate. These additional steps require additional staff and protocols to make a legally defensible test possible.

3. Because we run each and every test twice using our unique Dual Process™ technology, we can absolutely guarantee 100 percent accuracy in our results. Our tests have stood up to scrutiny in some of the most complex DNA testing cases of our time, like the Anna Nicole Smith case in 2007 and countless others.

4. DDC works with the largest network of collection sites of any laboratory in the world. We have thousands of locations nationwide where out clients can have their DNA samples taken by trained professionals, and we routinely work with embassies and other government agencies around the globe to assist in immigration or international adoption cases. This means that no matter where you are, or what your DNA testing needs are, DDC has a location near you.

5. We have a client care team that can assist our clients every step of the way—from ordering their test to interpreting their results, a real person is always waiting in our call center to assist our clients.

With all of the above factors, DDC assures that you will receive the highest quality DNA testing at affordable costs. Additionally, clients can start a test with only a $100 partial payment, and pay the rest of the balance over time.

For more information on DNA paternity testing at DDC, and our fees, please visit our Paternity Testing page. You may also want to visit our DDC Advantages Resource Page for a more complete list of the advantages of choosing DDC.

According to a May 17 article in The Times (UK) online, a rare paternity case involving a set of triplets fathered by two different men has finally been settled after a 10-year legal fight.

After the birth of his mistress’s triplets in 1997, the man—who allegedly had a brief affair with the triplets’ mother—began to doubt that he was the father of all three babies because he thought one child looked markedly different from the other two. When the mother took the man to court to pursue maintenance (a form of financial compensation in the UK that resembles the U.S. child support system), he voiced his paternity doubts and asked for a DNA paternity test.

According to court records, the first paternity test was completed in 1998 on just one child. Because the DNA test showed this man was the biological child of that child, the results were “extrapolated,” as one legal official noted, and it was concluded that the man must have then fathered all the children in question. This conclusion was drawn because it was believed nearly impossible that more than one man could father one set of multiples. However, the man persisted, and two more paternity tests were eventually carried out in 2000 and 2007—testing all children involved— which proved that he only fathered one of the three children. While details of the case are still being sorted out, the man has said he is relieved that this 10-year process of proving his initial suspicions is over.

While extremely rare, it is possible for fraternal twins to have different biological fathers. This can occur if a mother ovulates twice in the same month, and each egg is fertilized by a different man’s sperm within that time frame. Identical twins, however, cannot be fathered by two different men because identical twins occur when one fertilized egg splits into two—the embryo contains DNA from only one sperm and one egg that split after fertilization and then multiply. Therefore, identical twins have the exact same DNA, while fraternal twins have different DNA. A twin zygosity DNA test can determine if twins are identical or fraternal by comparing their DNA.

According recent studies, scientists estimate that worldwide, one in 12 fraternal twin set are bi-paternal, and science has named this type of twinning “hetero-paternal superfecundation.”
For more information on DNA paternity tests for twins who may have different fathers, please visit DDC’s new Paternity Testing for Twins resource.

This year, DDC helped make Mother’s Day very special for one Ohio family. The Ezenagus are originally from Nigeria but now live together in a Northern suburb of Cincinnati, and it has taken over a decade for all members of the family to secure their visas, or “green cards,” and immigrate to the United States.

For the Ezenagu family and countless other families seeking immigration, DNA testing is often one piece in a complicated puzzle that makes up the immigration process. The United States may request DNA testing to verify that a biological relationship exists between relatives before approving their application. DDC’s Immigration Department routinely works with embassies abroad to coordinate DNA testing for relatives of U.S. citizens just as it did in the Ezenagus’ case.

To read more about the Ezenagus’ journey to the U.S., and how DDC played a key role in bringing them together, read our feature article here.

DNA Diagnostics Center is pleased to announce that its laboratory has shortened its turnaround time for DNA paternity tests from 5 business days to 3 business days. This shift marks a major achievement in the DNA testing industry, where a 5 working-day turnaround time is the standard for paternity tests.

“We are leading the way by processing paternity tests in a shorter time while still guaranteeing 100 percent accuracy in our results,” said Jerry Watkins, DDC’s Operations Manager.

Turnaround time refers to the time it takes DDC laboratory technicians to analyze the DNA samples after they have arrived in our laboratory.

“People expect value for their money, and that includes fast DNA test results” said Watkins. “DDC has always been known to provide the highest quality paternity testing, and now we’re putting the answer in their hands in less time.”

DDC implemented the 3-day turnaround time beginning May 1.

For more information on the type of DNA testing services that DDC offers, please visit our DNA paternity testing page.

It has been recently reported in the media that cheek swabs have been taken from over 400 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, most of whom were removed from the YFZ ranch in Eldorado, Texas, earlier this month. These swabs contain DNA that will be used for DNA testing in order to establish biological relationships among the members of the sect. Once the testing is complete, it will be up to the state of Texas to determine what is in the best interest for each child.

We asked Dr. Michael Baird, DDC’s Laboratory Director, to give his insights on the types of DNA testing that will likely take place in this case. The following article was written by Dr. Baird. For more information on Dr. Baird, please see his profile here.

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Because of the unique nature of this circumstance, there may be initial difficulties in sorting out biological relationships of the individuals tested, but the science of DNA testing should be up to the challenge.

The FLDS case is an example of a complicated pedigree analysis. As in all relationship testing, sample identification and tracking is critical. Standard laboratory procedures used to develop and analyze the DNA profiles should produce the information to determine the biological parents of the children.

The key steps in accomplishing this task are:

1. Step One: Identify Each Person
First, the information collected at the time the samples are collected should be detailed enough to identify the individuals. Since many of the individuals may not have government photo identification, photographs and fingerprints will likely provide important information for future identification.

2. Step Two: Establish Maternal Links—Who is Each Child’s Biological Mother?
Once DNA profiles are developed for each sample, the biological mothers of the children can be identified by comparing the DNA samples taken from the alleged mothers to those of the children who were tested. Standard maternity analysis should provide the genetic information to identify the biological mothers of the children, provided all alleged mothers submitted DNA samples.

3. Step Three: Establish Paternal Links—Who is Each Child’s Biological Father?
The next step is to determine the biological fathers of the children. Again, provided all alleged fathers have submitted samples, the science of DNA testing should be able to identify the biological father of each child by comparing markers on each tested father’s DNA to the markers on the children’s DNA.

However, depending on how the tested parties are related, additional testing may be required to sort out the biological parents. For example, if the alleged fathers of a child are brothers, additional testing that examines more DNA locations may be required to exclude one brother, if one of the brothers is indeed the true biological father.

Additionally, examining the Y-Chromosome markers in male children could help to establish paternal lineages that might be useful in this case. Likewise, mitochondrial DNA testing can help to establish maternal lineages. Other issues, like closely related mothers or inter-family marriages, can make the testing more challenging, but the science should be able prevail.

April 25 is National DNA Day, a day created to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, and to commemorate the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure. Organizations nationwide are hosting events in honor of this scientific celebration, and DNA Diagnostics Center is no different.

DDC hopes that by providing this Top Ten list of things to do on DNA Day, our partners, clients and the public will learn more about recent DNA discoveries and the power that DNA holds in understanding our past and shaping our future.

1. Send a DNA Day e-Card to your friends. Click here to follow the link that will allow you to choose a design, personalize the card and send it to as many of your friends and relatives as you’d like.

2. Watch a video from the Ultimate DNA DVD List! Choose from the following movies, or add a comment below to recommend one of your own personal favorites.

3. Become a Friend or Fan of DDC! Find us on Facebook and MySpace. We have uploaded videos, photographs, articles and other resources to each of our social networking pages.

4. Challenge your friends or students to an Origami Showdown. See how fast you can put together our origami DNA helix!

5. Read the stories of death-row inmates in Ohio, and how DNA analysis just might hold the key to their freedom. Read articles in The Columbus Dispatch that feature DDC’s Forensic Division.

6. See how DNA paternity testing affects the lives of real people. Watch a clip from the Maury show that portrays how DDC can solve even the most complex parentage questions. DDC is the exclusive provider of DNA testing for Maury.

7. Catch up on the DDC Paternity Testing Blog.

8. Are you a puzzle guru? Solve DDC’s DNA Day Crossword Puzzle! Click here to download.

9. Is your dog or cat your best friend? Find out how DDC’s Veterinary DNA testing is helping breeders around the country.

10. Do you love science? Learn about the creation of DNA Day by watching this slide show from Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Click here for the video.

For more information on other activities in honor of DNA Day, please visit www.genome.gov.

As DNA testing technology advances, it seems that there are new types of DNA tests available nearly every week. Biotechnology companies are offering DNA tests that they say can show a person’s genetic predisposition to many physical characteristics and can even link heredity and illnesses. DNA testing can also help establish a person’s identity in criminal cases, and individuals’ DNA profiles can be compared to determine if a biological relationship exists between them. Many types of DNA testing have made media headlines recently, and through this post DDC hopes to clarify differences between these various DNA tests.

Currently, DNA testing can be divided into several categories. Three of the categories most prevalent in the media recently are Genome Analysis, Gene-Specific Analysis (commonly referred to as Genetic Testing) and DNA Identity Testing (under which paternity testing falls). What differentiates the tests into these three categories is the portion of DNA that scientists examine during testing.

Inside each cell within a living organism, there are tightly bundled strands of DNA, which stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. DNA strands are often referred to as “the building blocks of life,” because it is DNA that contains the basic instructions for how each living thing grows, develops and changes over the organism’s course of life.

Each strand of DNA resembles a double helix or twisted ladder shape. The “rungs” on the ladder are made up of pairs of nucleotides. These pairs of nucleotides occur in a pattern specific and unique to each individual, and make up the “code” that influence an individual’s physical features and predisposition to illness. A person’s entire set of DNA code is said to be his “genome.”

Genome Analysis is the study of a person’s genome as a whole. Much like when one reads a book and notices a common theme throughout the chapters, scientists examine the entire “story” of a person’s genome to see if he or she is predisposed to certain illnesses of characteristics. Some companies may offer to determine your entire genome sequence (arrangement of all the nucleotides on your DNA) or they may offer to examine hundreds of thousands of locations on your DNA to create a “genomic profile.” The applications may vary; for example, according to personal genomics companies, Genome Analysis could predict an individual’s risk of certain diseases like heart disease or diabetes, or trace hereditary characteristics such as food preference or sleep patterns. This category of DNA testing is a very new development in the field, and many experts are currently debating the merits and impact of this type of testing.

Within the human genome are genes, which are segments of the DNA strand that code for specific traits. Unlike Genome Analysis in which scientists examines the a person’s genome as a whole, in Gene-Specific Analysis scientists examine an individual gene that is associated with a specific disease, such as breast cancer or cystic fibrosis. This type of DNA testing is typically requested by a physician in the course of diagnosis; also, when a family member is diagnosed with one of these inherited diseases, doctors or genetic counselors can test other family members to see if they too carry the gene. Some companies are beginning to sell these tests directly to the consumer; concerns are being raised about having access to this information without the benefit of genetic counseling.

There are other regions on the DNA that may not necessarily code for specific physical characteristics, but rather play a structural role on the DNA. An example of these non-coding regions are portions on the DNA that are composed of short, repeating sequences of DNA, called Short Tandem Repeats. These STRs have certain characteristics, such as size, that can be used to determine a person’s identity or prove family relationships. Each individual inherits a certain set number of these STRs from each biological parent. This enables scientists to use these DNA markers for DNA identity testing, the third category of DNA testing that is often mentioned in the media today. Scientists can compare a child’s alleles with those of his or her parent to determine maternity, paternity, and other family relationships. Scientists use this kind of analysis in family relationship testing like paternity tests, and can also use STR testing to identify individuals in forensic cases as well.

For more information on how DNA paternity testing works, please click here.

Each state in the United States has its own laws regarding when and how a birth certificate and other paternity paperwork for a new baby must be signed. Despite these state-by-state differences, there are several important things for parents to keep in mind when faced with signing these legal documents, especially in circumstances when there may be paternity questions to consider. The following general points are important to consider before signing legal birth forms when paternity may still be in question.

1. Remember that many forms you sign at the hospital after the birth of a child are legal documents. If you have any questions, ask the hospital staff or your social worker for more information. They are there to help you.

2. If you have paternity questions, you may have the option to obtain a DNA test before you sign the birth certificate or paternity forms, even if this means that the forms are not signed at the hospital. Check with the social worker at the hospital for your state’s laws regarding how long parents have to submit birth certificate paperwork, and where paperwork should be submitted if forms are not signed at the hospital.

3. By signing these forms, parents become legally and financially responsible for the child, which means the parents listed on the birth certificate will be held legally responsible for the child’s well being, including child support payments if the parents are unmarried.

4. It can be very difficult to rescind (take back) a signature on any of these legal documents even if paternity is later established and the man listed on the birth forms as “father” is determined to not be the child’s biological father. In fact, in many states, it can be nearly impossible for a man to remove his name from these forms even if a biological relationship is not apparent.

For more detailed information on what to know before signing a child’s birth certificate, please visit www.dnadiagnosticscenter.com. You may also call DDC at 1-800-882-8677 to speak with a case manager confidentially.

In March 2007, the identity of a 19-month-old English boy who was believed to have died in the Titanic shipwreck of 1912 was confirmed. The child, who was found floating in the water off the coast of Nova Scotia six days after the ship sank, was originally buried in grave marked “The Unknown Child.” After determining his approximate age by examining his teeth, scientists used a type of maternal-lineage DNA testing called mitochondrial DNA testing, or mtDNA, to establish his identity. Scientists compared the boy’s DNA to a surviving maternal relative and were able to conclude that he was Sidney Leslie Goodwin, and was not a member of the Swedish Panula family, who also lost a boy his age during the boat’s demise. According to ship records, Sidney was apparently traveling to the U.S. with his parents Frederick and Augusta, and their five other children, to start a new life in New York. Ironically, the family was originally booked to board another ship, but was moved aboard the Titanic because of a coal shortage at the time of departure.

Also this time last year that investigators in Vallejo, Calif., turned to DNA testing in their pursuit of the elusive Zodiac killer who killed at least two but as many as 37 people from 1969 to 1974. Investigators submitted the stamps from his infamous “Zodiac letters” for DNA testing of the saliva used to adhere the stamps to the envelopes. The killer, who called himself “Zodiac,” sent numerous letters to the media and law enforcement personnel throughout the course of the killings, essentially taunting them while striking fear into Northern Californians. In 2002, preliminary DNA testing failed to establish a connection between the writer of the Zodiac letters and their sole suspect in the killings. Presently, it appears that investigators are no closer to finding or apprehending the man who called himself Zodiac.

For more information on the types of DNA tests mentioned here, please view our web resources on Mitochondrial DNA Testing and Forensic DNA Testing.