FAQ: “Can you help me determine if my brother is really my brother?”

The commonly asked question is followed by a slew of questions from one of our customer service representatives.

1. Do you believe you are full brother’s or half brother’s?

2. Do you believe you share a mother or a father?

3. Are either of your mother's available and willing to be tested?

4. Are any other known family members available and willing to be tested?

DNA relationship testing can be used as an effective tool at proving biological relationships. However, the conclusiveness of test results depends on a number of factor, the most important being the participants’ DNA profiles.

Ex. Sally and Mary believe they are half sisters, and that they share a father. The father is deceased, so a paternity test is not an option. Their mothers are not available for testing because they too are deceased. We have only one option to prove these girls are siblings.

Half vs. Unrelated Siblingship Test – We analyze and compare the DNA profiles of both women. This can lead to a couple outcomes. First, if they both have “common” genes, the results will be inconclusive, showing a probability of relatedness around 50%. Second, if they have “rare” genes, the results will be more conclusive since it is unlikely that unrelated people would share those genes.

If Sally and Mary believed they shared a mother, then we could do Mitochondrial DNA Testing. Mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to children, both boys and girls. However, only girls continue to pass it on to their children.

If Sally and Mary were men, then we could do Y-Chromosome DNA Testing. Y-Chrome DNA is passed down from fathers to sons. It continues through the male line, and it is not passed to females.

In Sally and Mary’s case, more participants would help the process, ideally one or both of their mothers. If not their mothers, one of their father’s sisters or brothers would help. The probability of getting a conclusive DNA test result in a half vs. unrelated sibling test is low, but it depends on the individuals being tested. They may share very rare alleles, making it very likely that they are related.

A very nice gentleman (we’ll call him John) called our 800 line the other day and told me his story. His wife had just had a child, and he wanted a paternity test to gain peace of mind. He had done some research and found his options to be a home DNA test or a legal DNA test. He understood that the testing procedures are exactly the same, except for an extra set of eyes examining the test results. For the time being he had no intentions to use the test results in court. His primary needs were convenience and accuracy. He did mention that if the results came back negative he may move forward with a legally admissible test.

I use John’s story because it is similar to thousands of other men in the U.S. Their wife or significant other has a child, and the man wants peace of mind.

So, should John choose a home DNA test, or should he choose a legal test? First, let’s look at the advantages of the home test;

1. It’s Cheaper – Because there is no collection fees or notary signature, a home DNA test is usually less expensive than a legal test.
2. It’s More Private – Collection is done in the privacy of your own home.
3. It’s Convenient – You don’t need to leave your living room.

Now, let’s look at the disadvantages;

1. It’s Not Admissible – Home DNA test results are not court admissible for child support, custody, or birth certificates because there is no chain of custody. The samples need to be collected by an unbiased third party.
2. It Could Cost You More In The Long Run – If your home test comes back negative, and you decide to go to court, you’ll need to pay the full amount of the legal test. Your options are to spend a little more now, or risk spending a lot more later.

John’s decision should be based on his needs. If there is any chance he might want the results to be admissible in court, then he should get a legal test from the beginning. If John knows he just wants peace of mind, he should feel comfortable choosing a home DNA test.

Always remember to choose a trusted DNA testing company to complete your test.

One of our most frequently asked questions is, “How accurate is a DNA test?”. The answer is that it depends. The first requirement of an accurate paternity test is the collection process. There needs to be no cross contamination of samples, and the samples need to be labeled properly. This ensures that the lab processes the appropriate samples.

If the collection is performed properly then DNA test accuracy reaches close to 100%. We can tell you with 100% certainty if you are NOT the father. On the other hand, we can show with greater than 99.999% probability that you ARE the father.

The reason we cannot be 100% certain is that we do not have the DNA sample of every person in the world. Therefore, out of the 16 genetic markers we test, there is a slight chance that someone else could share those markers. However, using other evidence such as the time of conception the result becomes conclusive.

Courts typically accept results which are greater than 95% in child support cases. Keep in mind that identical twins have exactly the same DNA. Therefore, if one of the twins is included as the father in the paternity test, the other twin will be included as well.

DNA testing is the most accurate way to prove biological relationships. The technology is constantly improving, so you can expect the 99.999% to increase to 99.999999% in the near future.

The picture is compliments of Zazzle.

Customers want information to be fast, simple and convenient in today’s high technology society. On September 10, 2009, Boston Paternity launched a new mobile website, specifically designed to provide DNA testing information to individuals using mobile phones.

The mobile paternity test information site offers basic information about paternity testing, immigration DNA testing, and other relationship tests. “Our customers search for DNA testing information everywhere, explained John Quintal, President of Boston Paternity. “At home, work, school, or in their car, our clients can now access DNA testing information from anywhere.”

In celebrating the launch of the new website, Boston Paternity is offering a $50 discount on all DNA tests when customers mention the code located on the mobile website. You can find the code and claim the discount at Boston Paternity’s Mobile DNA Testing Site.

When I tell people I work for Boston Paternity, they usually come out with come smart  comment like, “Ohhh you find baby’s daddies” or, “Do you do paternity testing for Maury?” I respond by telling people that some of what we do is related to paternity testing, and some of the stories are definitely Maury worthy. But Boston Paternity does more than test paternity. We help individuals and families with all sorts of relationship testing. “Relationship Testing”, as explained in the Ombudsman Annual Report 2009, is broader in scope than previously used terms like “parentage testing” or “paternity testing”. It’s more explanatory than “genetic testing” which describes the process of analyzing genetic markers for purposes other than proving relationships.

Used especially in the context of immigration, relationship testing refers to any test which provides evidence of a family relationship. “DNA testing” is the most accurate form of relationship testing.

Relationship testing includes paternity testing, and also incorporates maternity testing, siblingship testing, grandparentage testing, avuncular testing, and twins testing. The list goes on and on. Relationship DNA testing gives us the capability of proving close as well as distant biological relationships.

Next time someone tells you they work for a DNA testing company, you can come out with some smart comment like, “Ohhh you find baby’s mommies” or, “Do you do avuncular testing for Maury?”

In a long, hard fought battle for the Greater Lawrence Roberto Clemente 9-10 Year Old Baseball title, the Boston Paternity Cardinals reigned as champions. The 2009 season marks the 18th for the Roberto Clemente League, which provides a positive experience for over 300 children in Lawrence.

League President, Isabel Melendez, began the Roberto Clemente Baseball League as a way to develop the athletic abilities of local children as well as other characteristics like teamwork, discipline, and fair play.

It takes a lot of work to organize and manage a youth baseball league, and Boston Paternity is proud to be a part of a well run program like the Roberto Clemente League in Lawrence, MA. This was our first year as a team sponsor, and we will definitely sponsor a team again in 2010. 

Paternity testing, unfortunately, is a laughing matter for most people. When I tell my friends and family what I do, they snicker and say, "Who's Your Daddy?" or "Baby Mama Drama". I think its the publicity from the Maury Povich Show and other daytime television programs that puts paternity testing in the light of entertainment. Povich preps men for the show, and they come on stage and rant about how a baby looks nothing like them, or how the mother has been with every guy in the zip code. Here's an interesting rant about Maury Povich paternity tests.

In the real world, paternity testing is nothing like what you see on Maury. Fathers call us because they have genuine uncertainty or a court order. Most times they care deeply for the child and mother. Mothers and significant others of potential fathers call us because they have doubts about the child's paternity. Mothers call us because they need proof to show the father, or to eliminate their own uncertainty.

Paternity testing isn't about shoving a result in a mother's face and laughing because the baby isn't his. It's not about how many guys a mother has been with, or how a baby doesn't have the same shaped nose as the father. Paternity testing is about peace of mind.

The LATimes Blog wrote an entry about paternity testing for fathers day, so I wanted to follow up. There are lots of DNA labs doing special promotions for Father's Day. Genelex is offering 10% off of theirs. We've come up with a promotion of our own.

Email us your story. Tell us why you want a paternity test. We'll read through the entries and the most deserving will receive a free legal paternity test. The winner will be announced on June 19, two days before father's day. Check out our DNA promotions page for additional offers.

Our goal is to give families, and fathers peace of mind for Father's Day.

There are lots of DNA labs out there, and each has their own DNA test report. Our lab is no different. The laboratory releases thousands of paternity test results each year, Results come in two pages. The first has the statistics, and the second has the explanation. Since the paternity testing procedure is extremely technical, the explanation of the results can be confusing. Hopefully this post will clarify how the results of a standard paternity test are presented.

If you take a look at the picture of the sample paternity test results, you'll see a bunch of statistics in the form of a spreadsheet. Click the link to view a clearer picture.

DNA Paternity Test Results

The first column reads "Genetic Marker". The column lists the 16 genetic markers that are compared in the paternity test. To learn more about genetic markers, check out my post, "What is a Genetic Marker".

The next column reads "Child", and has two columns below it; Allele A and Allele B. The child receives one Allele from his father and one from his mother. Please notice I said his. Take a look at the 14th genetic marker, "AMEL". This is the genetic marker for sex. You'll notice that the child has an "X" for allele A and a "Y" in allele B. This means the child is a male. All males have a "Y" allele for AMEL. If there were a blank space for allele B, then the child is a female. For any genetic marker where allele B is empty, the individual is considered homozygous. This means the individual received the same allele from both parents.

Each genetic marker from the Child is compared to that of the Alleged Father. Each comparison results in a number, called the Paternity Index. The paternity index is based on the probability of the two individuals sharing that genetic marker. The number is based on an intricate scientific logarithm derived from population sampling.

Now for the part you're probably interested in. Is the father actually the father? To get this answer, look at the bottom of the spreadsheet for the field labeled Probability of Paternity.

In this case, the probability of paternity is >99.999%. It is extremely likely that John is the father of John Jr. If John was not the father, the Probability of Paternity would read 0%

Also take a look at the field above Probability of Paternity labeled Combined Paternity Index. In this case, the combined paternity index is 1,240,000. This shows extremely strong support for the relationship. The higher the number, the better. Most courts accept anything higher than a 100 for the Combined Paternity Index. This number always increases by including the mother in the test.

The final issue is with the short paragraph at the bottom of the page. The first sentence says, "The results indicate that the alleged father can not be excluded as the biological father of the child."

In order for that sentence to say, "The alleged father is the biological father of the child" the laboratory would need to test every human being on earth. Since, the statistics are based on population sampling, the laboratory cannot get a 100% result.

DNA test results can be confusing, so speak with a case manager or DNA professional if you have questions.

Families going through the immigration process in order to bring relatives to the U.S. are used to a lot of things. They're used to high fees to fill out forms. They're used to waiting months or years after filing an I-130 to hear a response from immigration services. They're used to getting phone numbers for answering services, and never being able to speak to a live representative. Most immigrant families are used to waiting uncomfortably for their loved ones to join them in the United States.

One thing families are not used to is good customer service. Quality customer service should be a prerequisite when choosing a DNA lab for your immigration DNA test. Here are three points to consider when rating a DNA company's customer service:

1. They Answer The Phone - There's nothing like calling a company and being on hold for 20 minutes. Nobody likes to leave a message on an answering machine, never to get a call back. Your DNA company should answer the phone when you call, or return your message promptly.

2. They Do Everything For You - A lot of things need to happen in order for an immigration DNA test to fall into place. Shipments are made, appointments are scheduled, results are sent. Some laboratories put responsibilities in the hands of the client. A good laboratory will handle all shipments, appointment scheduling, and anything else you need to get your case completed.

3. They Keep You Updated - All shipments for your immigration DNA test should be tracked. A case manager should schedule all appointments and let both beneficiary and petitioner know when their appointment is. When the samples are in the DNA lab, they can be tracked through the testing process. Your results can be tracked back to the U.S. Embassy. You should be assigned a DNA case manager who will notify you of the progress of your test.

You deserve great customer service from your immigration DNA testing lab. Expect nothing less.

This is the first entry of Boston Paternity's new DNA testing blog. I am Ryan, the director of Boston Paternity. I have been working at Boston Paternity since 2006, and I communicate often with the laboratory staff and case managers. Starting this blog seemed like an easy way to answer FAQ's, talk about DNA testing news, and connect with clients to see what they have on their minds. It's also a way to educate people on the processes and new uses of DNA testing. The ultimate goal for the blog is to provide lots of informational content about DNA testing.

The plan is to add posts to the blog at least three times each week, but I am hoping to do more.  If you have something that you would like me to write about, please do not hesitate to email me or call me at our toll free number. Thanks for taking the time to check out our blog. Happy reading!