|  | Public Health Safety | Medical Research

Uses for Genetic Fingerprinting

Genetic fingerprinting, or DNA typing, is an advanced scientific technology that involves taking a DNA sample, usually through blood, of someone and entering that person's genetic code into a database of genetic information. While genetic fingerprinting is not without controversy, the process has a number of benefits, including establishing paternity, assisting in police investigations, determining whether a baby has a disease, identifying bodies and learning more about various medical conditions.

  1. Establishing Paternity

    • The most basic use for DNA fingerprinting is establishing the paternity of a child. Each person gets half of his DNA from mom and half from dad. By taking blood or saliva samples from both child and possible father, lab technicians can determine the father with almost absolute certainty. If the person tested is not the father, the technicians may be able to determine if the actual father is related based on the genetic code.

    Assisting Police

    • DNA evidence in forensics investigations is still a relatively new phenomenon. Investigators used genetic fingerprinting in 1986. At that time, forensics investigators could not determine that a specific person committed a crime, but they could use known DNA markers for race, illness and other factors to determine whether the person fit a set of identifying criteria. Investigators now can compare a suspect's DNA with fluids found at a crime scene to determine with a reasonable certainty whether a person committed a crime.

    Predicting Diseases

    • When babies are born, doctors can take a blood sample to create a DNA fingerprint for that baby. Doctors are able to determine whether babies have the genes for some dominant diseases, such as Huntington's disease. Genetic fingerprinting in these cases also gives doctors an idea of whether a child is likely or predisposed to getting a certain condition. This process is not available with all diseases yet.

    Identifying Bodies

    • Forensic pathologists can use DNA to determine the identity of someone killed in a mass casualty situation, such as a war or natural disaster. In the United States, some agencies now collect the DNA profiles of soldiers, police officers, firefighters and others who may die in tragic ways. The plan is that forensics experts could identify these people more readily in case of a disaster situation.

    Preventing Illness

    • As researchers understand more about the genetic code, they are able to use genetic fingerprints of a large number of people to spot similarities and differences in the people's health based on the genetic code. Using these samples, researchers look for commonalities among people with arthritis, for example, and then can work on prevention or early detection methods with this knowledge.

Medical Research - Related Articles