The World Leader in Private DNA Testing

On this month in 2007, Larry Birkhead, the ex-boyfriend of the late model Anna Nicole Smith, filed for paternity of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern in the highly publicized case. Howard K. Stern, whose name was on the baby’s birth certificate, had custody of the child at that time. Later, a paternity test carried out by DNA Diagnostics Center proved Larry’s claim to be Danielynn’s biological father. Results were not made public until Dr. Michael Baird, DDC’s Laboratory Director, provided the results to the presiding judge in the Bahamian court proceedings.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251798,00.html

On this month in 1995, the federal government began enforcing submission of DNA samples to the CODIS database for every person convicted of aggravated sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual contact and criminal sexual contact.

The FBI Laboratory’s CODIS began as a pilot project in 1990, serving 14 state agencies and local laboratories, until the DNA Identification Act of 1994 established the program nationally. The program grew naturally into a three-tiered hierarchy of local, state, and national databases. The FBI’s National DNA Index System (NDIS) is the highest level in the hierarchy, and allows laboratories in the CODIS Program to compare DNA profiles on a national level. The different tiers allow for state and local law enforcement agencies to work through the databases according to their different legal requirements.

For more information, visit http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/codis/program.htm.

The DDC blog gives a view of what topics were of high interest in 2007 to internet surfers interested in DNA testing topics.

For issues regarding paternity, the Maury post received the the top attention, particularly with 2007 being our 10^th year of partnership with the show. A close second is the article on cheap paternity testing services advertised on the internet, and what to look out for when selecting a DNA laboratory. Another highly searched topic is non-invasive prenatal paternity testing, and DDC’s comment on this issue.

A big concern for many clients is whether on not they can use the DNA test in a legal proceeding. This post describes the chain of custody process that DDC uses to ensure test results can be defended in court.

In other DNA testing news, with the increased publicity regarding DNA testing for pets, the DDC Veterinary blog post received ample attention.

As of yesterday, Dr. Baird has assumed his position in the AABB as the Chair of its Relationship Testing Standards Program Unit. He will be leading a committee in reviewing and revising the standards for parentage testing laboratories. The AABB guidelines are the most widely accepted standards in the industry for family relationship DNA testing.

Most courts and government agencies require DNA tests to be performed by an AABB-accredited laboratory for test results that can be used in child custody, inheritance, immigration, and other legal purposes.

Read our press release for more information.

To celebrate the New Year, DDC has launched a new section on our website called “DNA Education Corner” which features fun activities for young scientists of all ages, including a DNA model jewelry project, DNA origami, and a DNA extraction exercise using items commonly found at home.

Also present are useful references such as a glossary of DNA terms, online resources (including RSS feeds and podcasts), and relevant excerpts from the National Science Education Standards.

On this month in 1997, The FBI announced its new National DNA Index System (NDIS). NDIS allows forensic science laboratories to link serial violent crimes to each other and to known sex offenders through the electronic exchange of DNA profiles.

The same day of the NDIS announcement, the FBI Laboratory announced its success in extracting a DNA profile using mitochondrial DNA (mDNA). mDNA analysis allows extraction of DNA from minute quantities of physical evidence like a strand of human hair.

Source:

http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/historicdates.htm

This month, Maury Povich is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his hit daytime talk show, The Maury Show. Over the years, The Maury Show has covered many different stories but the show is most known for the episodes involving paternity testing. “It’s the classic reality form of soap opera,” Povich told the New York Post. “You get all the drama, distrust, and controversy in 12 minutes.”

As the sole provider of DNA testing services to The Maury Show, DDC is proud to be a part of its success. To show this pride, DDC will join other well-wishers like Jimmy Kimmel, Larry King, and Rascal Flatts to congratulate Povich on a job well done through video clips airing throughout the month of November. DDC’s clip, which will give the audience a sneak peek of our laboratory and the people behind the DNA testing process, will air on Monday, November 19.

DDC is also proud to partner with other TV shows like Judge Hatchett, Divorce Court, Judge David Young, and other popular daytime and primetime programs to deliver high quality and reliable DNA testing services.

Congratulations, Maury!

It was in November of 1987 that DNA testing and DNA profiles were introduced into the courtroom. In the trial of Tommie Lee Andrews for the crime of rape, forensic DNA expert Dr. Michael Baird was called in to testify on the likelihood that Andrews was the rapist, based on DNA evidence. Baird, now Laboratory Director at DDC, testified that the odds Andrews was not the rapist were at least one in 100 million. This was the first time DNA evidence was used in a criminal trial. Visit http://www.wesh.com/news/14650631/detail.html to learn more about this case.

Also in this month, in 2002, Virginia became the first state to identify its 1000^th suspect through cold hits in a DNA database. More than a decade ago, Virginia passed a law that required all felons, including those who committed property crimes, to submit a DNA sample for DNA testing and inclusion in the state DNA database.

When a crime occurs, investigators can submit DNA found at the crime scene to the federal database Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) to search for a possible match in the database. Also, the DNA of missing persons can be submitted in hopes of discovering a cold hit, in efforts to give the families of those missing peace of mind.

Biochemist and Nobel laureate Arthur Kornberg passed away on Friday, October 26, at the age of 89. He is credited with igniting the biotechnology revolution that remains strong today.

Kornberg received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1959 for his discovery of DNA polymerase, an enzyme involved in the process of heredity. Without his discovery, DNA testing may not be possible. And if it were possible, DNA testing may be much more time-intensive, as the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a more efficient and practical process, has become a standard practice in the industry today.

Kornberg was a passionate scientist who dedicated his life to biochemical discovery. He and his colleagues were the first scientists to produce the active inner core of a virus in a laboratory, and he found that polyphosphate, a substance often discarded by other scientists, has an integral function in many biomolecular activities. In the 1980s, Kornberg established DNAX, a research facility dedicated to understanding the cellular processes in health and disease, which was acquired by Schering-Plough.

Kornberg is survived by his wife, three sons (one of which, Roger, is also a Nobel laureate), and eight grandchildren.

As you may have noticed, DDC’s website has recently been restructured. In our continuous efforts to improve our clients’ accessibility to the site, DDC’s web team worked hard to implement these changes over the past few months.

On our new homepage, you will find helpful links to the various paternity and DNA testing services we offer, our professional partnerships, our collection site locations, and our corporate information. You will also find information about the latest press releases, recent web features such as the interactive History of DNA presentation, and current and upcoming events at DDC. We hope that by making these items more accessible, you’ll be able to find the information you are looking for much more easily.

You may have also noticed the new Adoption section now included with the DNA Testing Services. This new section discusses the benefits of DNA testing by clarifying situations and the role DNA testing can play in adoption cases, whether domestic or international, open or closed. DNA testing can even assist clients undergoing in vitro fertilization. As you are looking through this section, be sure to check out our new product, myDNA Keepsake, a personalized DNA profile that can be given as a gift to any involved in the adoption.

We hope you enjoy these changes to our website, and we look forward to receiving your feedback as we strive to serve your DNA testing needs best.