DNA testing is something that has become incredibly popular in recent years. So much so, that it is not uncommon to give your loved ones a DNA kit instead of the traditional Birthday or Christmas presents.
There are lots of different companies that offer DNA testing, and this can make it hard to determine which is the best. Today we’re taking a look at a leading company, DNA Diagnostics Center to determine whether or not they are a good option for you.
What is DNA Diagnostics Center?
Before we take a look at all of the wonderful testing kits and products that DNA Diagnostics Center has on offer, let’s first take a look at the company history.
DNA Diagnostics Center was first established back in 1995, on the same principles that the company operates under today. Ever since the company was founded, it has often been referred to as DDC, as its founding name is quite a long one if you want to say it multiple times in a sentence.
In 1995, the founding members of DDC acknowledged all the big changes that were happening in technology, and specifically DNA technology, at the time.
They saw all the work that was being done to advance DNA testing and believed that this work was fruitless if it did not translate into services that everyone could afford and access. It is this belief that DDC was founded on and this same belief that is at the company’s core all these years later.
Jump forward to now, and DDC is one of the leading companies in its field. Not only are they a leading DNA testing laboratory, but they are also one of the most highly-accredited for Genetic testing worldwide.
DDC is a UK based company who produce a variety of different commercial DNA tests, in areas such as lifestyle testing, ancestry testing, pets and veterinary testing, forensics testing, and most famously, paternity testing. Their tests are highly trusted in both a commercial and official capacity, with not only members of the public, but also government and legal communities choosing DDC.
While the company was founded in the United Kingdom, and a lot of the business side of things still happens in the UK, they have a variety of operations in the United States.
Including a dedicated staff of 200 people in their Ohio lab, and a variety of other staff members working at Satellite Sites across the USA. While the company is divided by one massive ocean, they come together with one aim: to answer their customers’ questions with top-quality genetic testing and care and compassion.
We have already mentioned that DDC is one of the leading companies in genetic testing, but they are also one of the first to offer these tests commercially. DNA was not commonplace in society until it was first used in crime scene investigation in the 1980s, and even then it took a lot of commercial companies many years to produce DNA kits.
For example, both AncestryDNA and 23andMe are household names when it comes to home DNA kits, but they didn’t begin offering these services until well into the 2000s. In fact, AncestryDNA only began selling DNA tests commercially in 2012, and it wasn’t until 2015 that they became available worldwide.
Since they were first founded in 1995, DDC has worked tirelessly to produce excellent processes in their laboratories to ensure that they are worthy of their high reputation and accreditation in the business community.
They are continually working to improve their methods and ensure that their testing processes are up to date so that their customers can get the best experience possible. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look at how DNA testing works with DDC.
How does it work?
Now that we’ve established DDC’s rich history and position in the commercial DNA testing world, let’s take a look at how their home tests work. As DDC offers a wide range of different tests, you might believe that they have to sample DNA differently from other companies.
However, DNA can be extracted from the nucleus of any cell, and so DDC takes DNA samples in the same way that many companies do, through a cheek swab.
But before you get to the swabbing process, you first have to order your desired kit online. DDC has a huge range of DNA tests, one of the largest on the market, and has you covered with everything from paternity to pet testing. After you order your kit online, you simply have to wait for it to arrive in the post.
Once the kit has been delivered to your front door, you will find that it has everything that you need to complete the DNA test yourself. It will come with all the necessary equipment, including a swab and airtight packet to store the DNA sample in.
It will also come with a return envelope for you to send your sample back to the laboratory to be extracted and tested. Finally, it will come with a set of instructions to ensure that you complete the test correctly. You must follow the instructions, even if you have experience with DNA testing kits, as there will be minor differences in the sample processing from test to test.
After you have taken your sample, you should bag it up and send it back to the laboratory in the pre-paid envelope included in the kit. After the company receives your sample in the post, they will get straight to work. DDC has some of the best DNA testing equipment in the world, and they use this at every step of the process.
From extracting your DNA to analyzing and comparing your DNA, you can be confident that DDC is using the best equipment possible and that this will provide you with accurate results once the testing process is done.
Something that is very important to a lot of people completing home DNA kits is the time that they have to wait for their results. As DDC has a huge range of products, the wait time differs from test to test, however for the majority of tests you will receive your results within 3-12 weeks depending on how busy the laboratory is.
That being said, if you have completed a paternity test with DDC you could receive your results in as little as 4 days before your results will be ready in your email inbox.
Paternity testing is different from other DNA tests, and this combined with the company’s continual commitment to paternity testing means that these are the quickest results that you will ever receive from DDC.
So now that we’ve established how the DNA testing process works at DDC, let’s take a look at why they are such a popular option among the general public.
Why choose DNA Diagnostics Center?
As DDC is one of the longest-running companies in the DNA testing world, there has to be a reason behind their continued popularity. We can’t look at all of the products that they sell because there are simply far too many.
So instead, let’s take a look at some of their most popular products, and other factors which make the company an excellent choice for a commercial DNA test.
First, let’s take a look at their paternity testing, as this is a product that is at the center of the company’s mission. DDC set out to make advancements in DNA technology accessible for members of the public, and they have done this with their paternity tests. The company offers both home and legal DNA tests, making them an appropriate option if you need to determine paternity in a court of law as well as at home.
Just like the other DNA tests that DDC offer, their paternity tests gather samples through a simple cheek swab. DDC understands that completing a paternity test could be a potentially life-changing event for many people, so they have made the process as simple and straightforward as possible.
Their home paternity tests are extremely affordable, and even come with a free phone consultation should you want further support. To complete the test, all you need to do is complete a cheek swab for both members of the family that need to be tested, usually the potential father and the child. The swabs are easy to complete, and then they can get bagged up and returned to the laboratory.
As DDC appreciates that paternity tests have the potential to be excellent or terrible news, they know that it is not something that you want to be left waiting for. This is why DDC prioritizes paternity tests, and have tailored their extraction, testing, and analysis process to allow them to provide you with results as quickly as possible.
Once the test center has received your samples, you can usually expect results within 3-4 days, making it clear why DDC is so popular when it comes to both legal and home paternity tests.
Another popular test that DDC offers is their HomeDNA Ancestry Starter test. This is one of a few ‘lifestyle’ tests that the company produces, and an excellent starting point if you want to begin researching your family history but do not want to become overwhelmed with information.
Even though DDC offers a variety of serious DNA tests, this is one of their more fun options, and in a world where DNA kits have become a common gift, this could be the perfect choice for a loved one.
This affordable and easy to complete kit completes two different tests to provide you with insight into your family history. All you need to do is take a swab of the inside of your cheek, return it to the laboratory and wait.
It usually takes up to 6 weeks for these test results to be ready, however, this time can be shorter in some circumstances. While your DNA is away, it is being extracted and tested to find out information about your family history and information about you too. The first part of the test takes a look at your DNA to find out where your ancestors came from.
It does this by giving you a world population ancestry analysis which will provide the testers with information that allows them to compare your DNA with other samples to identify your genetic roots. Society has changed a lot, and so have populations. So as well as giving you an ethnic idea for your genetic roots, the test also looks at which of today’s populations most accurately represent your DNA.
While they offer an excellent range of tests, it is perhaps not just this that has caused DDC to become such a popular option in the genetic testing world. It could also be because of their rich history that they are viewed as such a great option.
When it comes to DNA testing, a lot of companies who complete this work commercially are relatively new, but DDC is an exception to this rule. While they are not the oldest company to complete DNA research, they are one of the first to complete commercial DNA testing and they were one of the ground-breaking companies in this field.
It is this reputation that has caused the company to have so many professional accreditations to their name. DNA is personal, and nobody wants their DNA sample to get into the wrong hands, so choosing a reputable company is a must.
DDC has multiple accreditations from all over the world, from the Ministry of Justice to the College of American Pathologists (CAP). For any member of the public who is unsure of DNA testing, but still wants to have it done, these accreditations could be what sways them to choose DDC.
If a company is good enough for the CAP and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), it must be good enough for them to complete research into your family history.
But no company is perfect, and while DDC has a lot of great features, some people do have concerns with the company, so let’s take a look.
Issues with DNA Diagnostics Center
So far, DDC might seem like the perfect option if you are looking to complete DNA testing. They have a variety of different tests available, and an excellent motive behind their company. However, no company is ever perfect so let’s take a look at some of the concerns people have with DDC.
The first thing that we should talk about is the cost of their products. While the paternity test that DDC offers is an affordable price, a lot of their other tests are quite a lot pricier.
Of course, the importance of cost is relative to how much money you have. But for a company that was founded to provide the general public with innovative DNA technology at an affordable price, you could argue that they have lost their way.
That being said, you could also argue that their more expensive tests are the tests which are less important in the grand scheme of life. But with some tests that DDC offers, price is likely to be a concern for some people.
Another issue that some people might find with DDC is the amount of time that you have to wait for the results of the tests. You can’t fault the speed at which they can analyze and return your paternity results to you, however, this is another matter for some of their other tests.
The majority of the lifestyle tests that DDC offer tell you to expect results within 6-8 weeks. This is a pretty standard time for the majority of DNA testing companies, however, some companies offer this quicker.
For example, 23andMe advertises their results as being ready in 2-3 weeks which is half the wait time for DDC. A lot of people will be happy to wait, but some will choose alternative companies simply because they can produce their results quicker.
Alternative Companies to DNA Diagnostics Center
If the issues that we have covered outweigh the benefits for you, there’s no need to worry because there are some great alternatives to DDC available.
However, due to its vast range of products, it is extremely difficult to find a company that offers the same as DDC. That being said, some excellent companies offer the same features as DDC, there just isn’t a company that offers all of the same features.
For example, if you are looking for a company to complete a paternity test with. As well as DDC, you have other options such as Who’z the Daddy to choose from. You have even more options if you are looking for a company to complete research into your family history.
This area of DNA research is a hugely saturated market, and there are lots of different companies including AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage which can not only help your research in terms of your DNA but also offer a family tree service where you can use their vast amount of records to find out more about your history.
However, if reputation is very important to you, DDC might be the best option available.
Summary
In short, DNA Diagnostics Center is an excellent option if you want to complete research into your DNA.
They have a wealth of knowledge, and a rich history of experience, but this experience does make them a more costly option and this shows in the prices of some of their DNA kits.