How is DNA used in Parentage Testing?
In general the DNA of individuals is similar. However there are small regions that demonstrate high variability throughout the population. It is these regions that form the basis of parentage testing, as they can be analysed to produce a unique genetic profile of an individual. Usually the mother of a child is not disputed. Therefore the first step in the analysis of the test data is to compare the genetic profile of the mother with that of the child. We can determine which of the child’s DNA has come from the mother, and therefore the remaining half must have come from the biological father.
