Collecting DNA From Doggy Offenders

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 25, 2007 in DNA Products, DNA Testing

A few months ago, I opened my front door to find a perfectly formed piece of turd on the mat. I have no idea what animal might have left it since we’ve got cats who roam the area and the occasional fox as well. We’ve even had ducks wander off the River Thames into our courtyard. If I’d been a real scientist, I would have taken a sample and found some place to analyze its DNA.

Perhaps the animal control officers in Port Phillip, Australia would be able to help me out. They’re being provided DNA kits for cases where a dog has attacked a human or a pet. They’ll be collecting DNA evidence from fur, saliva, blood, and excrement. In 2004, the first Australian animal mauling case to use DNA evidence resulted in two dogs being destroyed for killing a Pomeranian. Their owner was fined $7,244.

The Dog Attack DNA kits are produced by Genetic Technologies Limited and include DNA collection swabs, gloves, tamper evidence bags and how-to instructions.

Mr. Ian Smith of Genetic Technologies said:

We are making DNA technologies, like those featured on TV shows like CSI, available to all dog attack investigators who may require additional evidence to prosecute the owners of rogue dog.

Dog DNA can be extracted from blood, clothing or skin wounds of the victim, dog derived material such as faeces or hair, or from anything that the dog has come in contact with such as fence palings or gates.

DNA analysis is particularly useful when a dog owner refuses to cooperate with investigators or the victim is unable to identify the dog because there are many dogs running around — say in a park setting.

If only these dog DNA testing kits could be used to identify owners who don’t pick up after their dogs on their morning scat walk. One can only dream.

Continue reading…

(10 comments)

More About Genomac Genealogy DNA Testing in the Czech Republic

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 25, 2007 in DNA Around the World, DNA Testing, DNA and Genealogy

What do I know about DNA testing in the Czech Republic? Virtually nothing except for what I dug up last week on Genomac and Forensic DNA Service. Ludvik Urban has first hand knowledge and set me straight over at RootsWeb.

Dr. Lei a <irony>”little bit”</irony> warps the facts.

1. “ancestry tests costing about $55.80″

Test by Genomac costs 2x more [2500 CZK].

I got the figure from the Prague Post article I quoted.

2. “Genomac is not much different than DNA testing companies in other countries.”

Maybe yes, maybe not. But in the Czech Republic, it is prohibited by law to keep DNA samples of individual persons. Genomac does keep samples without government permission.

3. “Any commericial database of DNA profiles must be registered.”

The Genomac’s database is not registerd.

4. Genomac as a result of its genographic test sells a map downloaded from YHDR database with erased copyright and without YHDR permission.

I bought Y-DNA test at Genomac for me and also from some of my relatives last year. As a admin of Genebaze, a genealogy website, and in the name of genealogy community I offered to Genomac acooperation, especially in a search for common ancestors. It refused. By the same time [last September] Genomac decided to sell ONLY YHDR maps, NOT markers values! After my query it started to sell marker values for aditional raised price.

I hope Genomac will soon fulfill the law and open its database. It promises that search the its database will find one’s ancestors and relatives.

What makes me sad is the fact that Genomac still refuses to prepare testfor more than 12 markers [<cite>"12 is enough, whe YHDR as a reference hasless markers"</cite>] and also refuses to store data about most distant ancestors.It refuses to evaluate obtained haplotypes by any haplogroup predictions. Instead of it, it produces a “certificate of origin” with these results:

“west-slavic”, “romanic”, “south-slavic”, “scandinavian-german”,
“mediterran-balkanic-north african”, “mediterran-near east-asian”,
“baltic-scandinavian-siberian” and “mediterran-kaukasic”.

Dont laugh, it’s true!

As a result of its very efficient marketing, people refuse to make test for more than 12 markers “because they have from Genomac all data”.

Ludvik Urban,
Genebáze and its amateur Czech and Slovak Y-DNA, mtDNA database

Thanks for letting us know more about the DNA testing scene in the Czech Republic, Ludvik! I will try to contact Dr. Marek Minarik to get his side of the story.

Tags: ludvik urban, marek minarik, genomac, czech republic, genetics, genes, dna, dna testing, genealogy

(3 comments)

Eye On DNA Down

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 25, 2007 in DNA in General

I got hacked last night. Everything should be running now but please let me know if you encounter anything wonky. Thanks!

FYI, the update from my host, Siteground.com (aff):

Continue reading…

(2 comments)

What’s in your DNA? #7

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 24, 2007 in In Your DNA

Rain, rain, and more rain drenching my DNA this weekend. What’s it like where you are?

Amdap at the insane ravings of a jobless mind:

…I have hypothesized that I am the creator of boredom. Evolution didn’t provide me with an explanation of its origin. None of my contemporaries seem to have that feeling as often as I do, if at all they do. So I must have an undiscovered gene in my DNA that causes the feeling of a distinct absence of interest.

Christy at Firedoglake:

The visual rhythm of ocean waves, lapping at the shore, the sea foam catching back and forth in the rippled sand as it bobs at the surface of the water, coupled with that rasping ocean sound of water crashing against the shore — it never ceases to amaze me how that can mean instant calm for me. For some reason, the ocean means zen in my DNA.

Carlo at El canto de todos, que es mi propio canto:

…the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to my life is do the best. That is plain and simply what it’s all about. It’s in my DNA. It’s what pushes me to work as hard as I do. It’s my daily passion and pursuit.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, in my dna, humor

(1 comment)

DNA Warning Sign

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 23, 2007 in DNA Fun

Created using Warning Sign Generator

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, warning sign, fun

(2 comments)

DNA Podcast: Genomic Health’s Kim Popovits

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 23, 2007 in DNA Podcasts and Videos, Personalities with DNA

This podcast is from February 2006 and is of Genomic Health President and COO Kim Popovits speaking for the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders lecture series.

Kim Popovits, President and COO of Genomic Health, Inc., discusses the organizational and technological strategies that have contributed to her success in the biopharmaceutical industry.

powered by ODEO

Tags: genomic health, kim popovits, genetics, genes, dna, genomics, genome, podcasts

(>> Start a discussion!)

Nanosphere DNA Test Using Gold Nanoparticles

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 23, 2007 in DNA Inventions and Gadgets, DNA Lab Talk, DNA Testing

A biotech company in Illinois is hoping they have the Midas touch. Nanosphere has created DNA probes made of gold nanoparticles. The Verigene System is meant to “make molecular diagnostic testing simple, accessible, and flexible, but still provide the high sensitivity, accuracy, and rapid multiplex target detection required by these applications.” The benchtop system is currently under FDA review and incoporates the Verigene Reader, Verigene Processor, and Verigene Test Cartridges. Each analysis costs about $30 and takes 90 minutes to complete compared with other commercial tests which run up to $500 and require several weeks from start to finish.

The analysis of DNA or RNA targets follows this procedure:

1. Genomic DNA is loaded into a single-use “Test Cartridge.” Sonication shears the genomic DNA into 300 to 500 base-pair fragments so that they’re small enough to be probed.

2. The genomic DNA fragments hybridize (stick) to capture probes that are attached to a solid support base. Then, gold nanoparticles with oligonucleotide probes attached are added.

3. The entire complex is washed and gold nanoparticle probes that did not find a complementary genomic DNA fragment are removed.

4. Elemental silver is deposited onto the gold nanoparticle probes which hybridized to a complementary DNA fragment. This amplifies the signal.

A video is also available for viewing.

According to Nanosphere CEO Bill Moffitt, approximately 35 million tests can be performed using the same amount of gold as the average wedding band. Nanosphere technology can be used in genetic diagnostics, pharmacogenetics, infectious diseases, and oncology.

More from CNNMoney.com
via Resource Investor

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, nanosphere, gold nanoparticles, verigene, genomics, genome, biotechnology

(3 comments)

Eye On DNA Is Rated R

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 22, 2007 in DNA Fun

And this is what I get for discussing breast cancer and BRCA genetic testing, drug companies and personalized medicine, and reproduction and sex chromosomes.

via Pharyngula

Tags: fun, blog rating, genetics, genes, dna

(9 comments)

DNA Quote of the Day: Dr. James Watson

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 21, 2007 in DNA Quotes and Excerpts

Speaking to students at Imperial College, London, Dr. James Watson said the following about his focus on divining the structure of DNA:

At that time … all I cared about was the DNA structure … It was aided by the fact that effectively there were no girls in Cambridge … I didn’t think about men so what do you think about? DNA. … The Cambridge that exists now is a much harder place to do great science.

I shall refrain from making any snarky comments.

NB: You can also watch the video podcast of the Special Centenary Lecture (link at the bottom).

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, james watson, imperial college, quotes

(4 comments)

DNA Testing in the Czech Republic

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted June 21, 2007 in DNA Around the World, DNA and Genealogy

DNA testing is a growing business in the Czech Republic. Genomac and Forensic DNA Service lead the pack and it hasn’t been a friendly competition.

In 2006, Genomac began offering ancestry testing and the response from the public was encouraging. Previously, the company had been providing paternity testing along with other DNA tech services starting in 2001 when it was founded by Marek Minarik and his sister, Lucie Benesova. Since introducing genetic genealogy, Genomac has sold some 5,000 DNA ancestry tests costing about $55.80 and of these, 3,000 customers agreed to have their DNA profiles stored in the database so that they can connect with people sharing the same lineage. The database is meant to be a tribute to national heritage.

In an interview with Radio Prague, Marek Minarik said:

…one thing that really surprised us and did not come out until we had a thousand people in the database was how related we really are. And this is one of the things we plan to announce when we open the database, basically a fact that every third person in the database has at least two other relatives in the database. Now, of course, because we don’t investigate these people, they might be people in the family. However, when we looked at the last names, we did not find any common last names in there.

Competitor Forensic DNA Service, which does not offer ancestry testing but provides forensic and paternity testing, believes that Genomac has broken the law by not registering with the Office of Personal Data Protection. And, founder Daniel Vanek, a leading Czech forensic geneticist and former police officer, is wary of Genomac’s promise to keep everything private and free from other interference, including bribes.

I don’t know what the cultural environment is like in the Czech Republic concerning personal privacy, but Genomac is not much different than DNA testing companies in other countries. Genetic genealogy companies are proud of their databases and protect their exclusivity not just because of privacy concerns, but also because customers want to know they’re getting access to data not available elsewhere. Genomac is serving a niche market and doing well. Perhaps instead of trying to block new ideas with bureaucracy, Vanek should think of other ways to educate the Czech people on the many ways DNA can enhance their lives.

Tags: czech republic, genomac, forensic dna service, daniel vanek, marek minarik, genetics, genes, dna, dna test, genetic testing, genome, genomics, genealogy

(6 comments)