The World Leader in Private DNA Testing

Robert McClendon, exonerated by DNA testing performed by DDC, is home for the holidays for the first time in 18 years. He was released August 11 after DNA evidence cleared him of a child rape charge.

McClendon is the 7th Ohio exoneree (read about the other six in this Columbus Dispatch article) and his is the first case in which DDC provided the testing as part of its pro bono services for the Ohio Innocence project.

Read more about his story in this news article, entitled “Home for the Holidays, after 18 years.”

The U.S. Surgeon General has set Thanksgiving Day as the “National Family History Day.” According to their website,

Over the holiday or at other times when families gather, the Surgeon General encourages Americans to talk about, and to write down, the health problems that seem to run in their family. Learning about their family’s health history may help ensure a longer, healthier future together.

With all the recent discussion on the new direct-to-consumer genetics available to find out what characteristics and disease susceptibilities individuals have inherited from their parents, the American College of Medical Genetics has issued a press release entitled, “Know the Myths and Facts about Genetic Testing.” They remind us that:

DNA tests are most often ordered and best interpreted in the context of family health history and with the support and guidance of a healthcare professional.

This year, the topic of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has been highly discussed and debated in the media. A previous post discusses the different types of genetic testing available to consumers today. At particular issue is the actions or behavioral changes someone might make after learning about his or her health risks and predispositions via a DNA test, potentially without the advice of a doctor.

With October being breast cancer awareness month, the media’s attention has turned to DNA testing for breast cancer-related genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Some companies have started to market this directly to consumers, according to this MSNBC article. In reviewing the services offered to the public, the writer notes that more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in 2007, of which about 20,000 were determined to be connected to the BRCA genes. A DNA test for these genes, therefore, only applies to a small percentage of breast cancer cases. The article suggests that “only women who have a strong family history of breast cancer — two or more parents, grandparents or siblings who have developed the disease — need to talk to their doctor or a genetic counselor about the value of any form of genetic testing.”

DDC’s forensics division has worked with The Ohio Innocence Project and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office to provide DNA testing that resulted in the release of longtime prison inmate Robert McClendon. After 18 years of imprisonment, a Franklin County, Ohio, judge ordered McClendon’s release after DNA analysis found no match between McClendon’s DNA sample and the DNA found in the submitted evidence. Based on this new evidence, McClendon walked out of the courtroom a free man on August 12.

In January, The Columbus Dispatch ran a five-part investigative series that re-examined the cases of 313 inmates who had requested DNA testing in the state of Ohio. Together with the Ohio Innocence Project, the Dispatch investigative team selected 30 cases they determined to have “legitimate claims of innocence.”

DDC offered to administer the DNA testing for these selected cases free of charge, in the interest of pursuing justice through science. The case of Robert McClendon marks the first of these cases to be resolved, with DNA testing playing a critical role in its outcome.

For more details on McClendon’s case, or to read the five-day investigative series that prompted the DNA testing, entitled “Test of Convictions,” visit the website of The Columbus Dispatch. Also read DDC’s press release to learn more about our role in the testing.

Recently, we’ve had several inquiries about siblingship DNA testing. There are many scenarios in which DNA testing could provide clues about a possible sibling relationship:

• Potential siblings who have been reunited after years of separation due to adoption or other circumstances
• An alleged father is either missing or deceased, and the mother would like to know if both of her children share the same father
• Estate claims in which proof of biological relationship is required, and no biological sample is available from the deceased individual—but his or her known biological child’s sample is available for comparison with the claimant

A siblingship DNA test works by comparing the two possible siblings’ DNA profiles to see if they share some markers that are inherited from a common parent. Unlike a paternity test, which conclusively determines a probability of paternity (greater than 99.999%) or an exclusion (0% probability), a siblingship test provides a “likelihood” value, or odds, that the tested individuals are more likely, or less likely, to be biological siblings. If a more conclusive result is needed, a grandparentage test could provide a higher probability of relationship, if the biological parents of the individual in question are available.

There are two types of siblingship tests: half siblingship and full siblingship tests. For more information about these testing options, please visit our Siblingship DNA Testing page.

CBS News reports the release of the 200^th man made free after DNA testing proved his innocence, with help from the Innocence Project. Jerry Miller was exonerated from charges made 26 years ago for rape, kidnapping, and robbery.

The Innocence Project, founded 14 years ago at the Yeshiva University law school, is today a network of non-profit legal clinics that assist the incarcerated by providing representation or legal assistance. The Project has been using DNA technology to free innocent people, and also works to reform the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice, according to their website.

“Forensic DNA testing methods have really provided a way to give a more complete picture of the crime scene,” comments Dr. Michael Baird, Laboratory Director at DNA Diagnostics Center, which offers DNA consultation services through its Forensics division. In its Ohio headquarters, DDC Forensics provides DNA testing to the Ohio Innocence Project hosted by the University of Cincinnati Law School.