DNA testing is becoming more and more popular as the years go on and science gets better.
Of course, there are a lot of DNA testing companies out there, so it can sometimes be difficult to know what will be the best company to go with.
AlphaBiolabs is one of the most well known companies providing DNA testing. They have a lot to offer, and perhaps what they are most well known for is providing DNA testing kits for the UK morning TV show Jeremy Kyle.
In fact, the company has even won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, and has been known to provide paternity testing results in an incredible 5 hours while on the show.
The question is, though - is AlphaBiolabs the right company for your DNA testing desires? Here’s all that you need to know.
Why Take a DNA Test Kit?
DNA Tests can be taken for a variety of different reasons. Having good peace of mind is certainly high up on the list of reasons. Home DNA tests can be used to discern paternity for a lot less money than what it would cost to get one done in court.
A home DNA test kit is ideal for when you want to be able to take a test under your own steam. It can be rather stressful taking a DNA test, especially if it’s a paternity test, so being able to take it precisely when you are ready to can be incredibly helpful.
DNA tests can also be used to discern lineage and heritage. You can find out where your ancestors were from for instance. Some tests will even tell you whether you have a genetic history of certain illnesses and medical conditions. These kinds of tests are a great way to explore your family history and dive into a past that you may not know about.
There are many other reasons why you may wish to take a DNA test, but those are just a few!
At A Glance - AlphaBiolabs DNA Testing
AlphaBiolabs have a lot to offer, with an extensive range of tests to match with your individual desires.
Perhaps the biggest selling point of an AlphaBiolabs testing kit is that results are very rapid. You will sometimes find that when you purchase a DNA kit, it can sometimes take a number of weeks or sometimes even months to get your results back.
This is fortunately not an issue with AlphaBiolabs. When you order a test from AlphaBiolabs, you can get the results back within 3-5 days of sending it off to the labs.
This is certainly a welcome feature, as waiting for results from DNA tests can sometimes be a nerve wracking experience. In fact, you can even get the peace of mind DNA test results by the next working day.
Furthermore, the tests are very accurate, especially in the case of the paternity tests. It should be noted that a paternity test will never be 100% accurate, but the company claims to have an accuracy of 99.99% when figuring out the probability of paternity.
The company also works to the highest of standards, with a UKAS ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. This also means that results can be used in court, and for the CSA and for immigation cases. They provide not only peace of mind DNA test results but also legal DNA test results that you can get within 3 working days.
When you’re taking a DNA test, it’s always important to have confidentiality. After all, you may not want anyone to know that you’re taking a DNA test. Thankfully, AlphaBiolabs conduct 100% confidential testing. Their procedures are very tight when it comes to samples, and all results are password protected so your results will not be shared with anyone that you don’t want to share them with.
Not only this, but the company has been in operation for more than 10 years, and they have a trusted reputation that you can rely on. They have won many accolades over the years that are a testament to their abilities. They have a team of experts with extensive experience and their technology is all up to the recent DNA testing standards.
How It Works
The first step is to purchase your DNA testing kit. You may do this either by ordering directly from the website or on Amazon, or you can purchase a kit from a Home Bargains store if you are based in the United Kingdom.
If you have decided to order the DNA testing kit online, the kit will be sent in discreet packaging to your address. This way, you don’t need to worry about any unwelcome eyes questioning why you’ve ordered a DNA test. The company will also provide you with a password that only you can use so you are able to chat with customer services in a discreet way, and it will allow you to be able to see your results when they are sent over email.
It’s actually really simple to use the test. Simply grab one of the swabs that come with the test kit and then rub the swab on the inside of your left cheek for around 20 seconds.
Once you have done this, put the swab inside of the envelope that you are given to return the test. You will need to use the second swab then identically to the first swab, you will just need to use it in the right cheek instead of the left.
When you are taking the test, you should try to avoid eating or drinking beforehand as it can be detrimental to your test.
Once you have done this, make sure that you fill in all of the details that are on the front of the envelope you are using to send the sample off, and then seal it closed.
Then you just need to send off all the swab envelopes and the form you have completed inside of the self addressed return envelope, ensuring that you send it off to the AlphaBiolabs laboratory.
Once the laboratory receive your DNA results, they will then begin the analysis.
Shipment Options
When you are ordering from AlphaBiolabs, it’s actually possible to upgrade your order to same day results for a small fee.
If you are going with the Same Day Results option, it’s important that you make sure the samples get to the AlphaBiolabs laboratory before 10am.
You can also opt for next day results, in which case you will need to ensure the results are at the lab by 10am so the results can get to you from 4:30pm onwards on the day after.
Testing Options
AlphaBiolabs offer a number of different testing options. The main ones are as follows:
- Paternity Testing
- Maternity testing
- Aunt test
- Uncle testing
- Grandparent test
- Y chromosome test
- Prenatal testing
- Sibling testing
- Single genetic profile test
- Ancestry test
- Twin testing
- Legal DNA testing
- Toothbrush DNA test
- Nail DNA test
As you can see, this is a vast array of different tests - more than you may find on any other provider’s site. Perhaps what the company is most well known for though is their paternity tests.
Here is a little more information about each of the different DNA tests:
Paternity Testing
Paternity testing is perhaps one of the main things that AlphaBiolabs are known for.
Once you have sent off your test, AlphaBiolabs will look at around 35 DNA markers in the child’s DNA. They will analyse how much of these genes have come from the mother and what genes come from the father.
You don’t need to worry if you don’t want the mother of the child knowing, as it’s possible to conduct a paternity test without the mother’s DNA sample.
If the child and father are a match, they will both share identical parts of DNA at every marker. If the man is not the father then the DNA will differ between the man and the child.
This is by far one of the UK’s most popular paternity tests for home testing. If you are struggling with the prospect of getting a paternity test done and are anxious about the results, there are also a bunch of videos on the company’s website that may help.
You will need to fill in a couple of different details on the form, such as the number of children and fathers to be tested, alongside what kinds of technical data you want to see in relation to the DNA analysis. You can also get a hard copy of the results.
It should be noted that this paternity test is referred to as a ‘Peace of Mind’ DNA test. This means that it is purely for your own reference and cannot be used for legal matters.
If you do need the test for legal purposes, then you will need to get a legal paternity DNA test, something that AlphaBiolabs are also able to provide.
Maternity Testing
AlphaBiolabs also offer a DNA maternity test. This test will allow you to be able to demonstrate a biological link between a potential mother and child.
It works similarly to the paternity test explored above as far as how the actual testing works.
This test is ideal if you are adopted and you are looking for a biological parent. It also has other uses, such as if you had IVF and wanted to make sure that the proper embryo was used during the IVF process.
As with the paternity test, it’s basically just to prove whether someone truly is a biological parent or not. You can also get same day maternity test results.
Prenatal DNA Test
Another option that you can get is the prenatal DNA test. This is for testing during pregnancy to see who a baby’s father is. You can conduct this test as soon as 5 weeks after you have conceived.
How does this work? Essentially, the test will use DNA SNP microarray technology. The test analyses the baby’s dna that is found in the mother’s blood stream.
As you can imagine, this test does require a blood test to be undertaken which may not be ideal for all mothers. It is less invasive than a prenatal test involving embryonic fluid, however, and there is no risk of miscarriage involved.
To take this test, you will need to order the test online. There are a few different sample collection options - either you can have an AlphaBiolab sample collector to visit your home, or you can get your blood taken in an AlphaBiolab Walk in Centre.
Alternatively, you can also arrange to collect your own blood sample by yourself. Then you will be able to get your results within 7 working days, or you can get them within 4 days for an extra fee. Naturally, this test is a little more expensive than the standard paternity test.
Baby Gender Test
Sometimes gender tests from an ultrasound aren’t always the most accurate - sometimes a technician may not be able to see the baby’s genitals properly as they are positioned awkwardly. If you want to solidify your results, a baby gender DNA test can be especially helpful.
This test works a little bit similarly to the maternity test, requiring a blood test to work properly. The test is entirely safe and there need not be any worries about miscarriage.
With this test, the DNA technician will process the sample to see if the foetal DNA is in the mother’s bloodstream. From here, the AlphaBiolabs technicians will use a technique known as Next Generation Sequencing in order to check the mother’s bloo and look for Y chromosome DNA.
If the foetal DNA does not have a Y chromosome then it indicates you are having a female child, whereas if the Y chromosome is active then it suggests that a male child is present.
You can take the test from 8 weeks onwards and you should be able to get the results within around 4 to 7 working days.
DNA Ancestry Test
If you’re looking to figure out more about your family history, this is something that you can do with the DNA Ancestry tests from AlphaBiolabs.
With this test, you can find out an estimated percentage of your origins from four main population groups, including African, East Asian, European and Indigenous American. After you have taken the test, you will get a certificate to tell you the percentages.
You can also take other ancestry tests too. For example, you can take the Euro DNA Fingerprint Plus Ancestry test which will tell you the exact places in Europe where your ancestors came from.
You can also take the Jewish DNA Fingerprint Plus Ancestry Test, which will have a look for any DNA you have inherited related to Jewish and non Jewish markers. There is also a GPS Origins Ancestry test that will tell you where in the world most of your family came from.
There are so many more tests that you can also explore on the AlphaBiolabs website, but these are just a few of the main ones that you may find.
Advantages and Disadvantages of AlphaBiolabs DNA Testing
Pros
Well established reputation - trusted providers that even provide tests for the courts. They have been used by big names, such as Jeremy Kyle on British TV.
Accurate results that you can rely upon.
Very fast results - within 5 to 7 days in most cases. There’s even an option to get next day results if you wish to.
A range of different testing options from paternity tests, ancestry checks, maternity checks, and so much more.
Discreet service and fully confidential - you won’t need to worry about anyone seeing your results if you don’t want them to as the results are protected by a password.
Non invasive testing procedures - no blood tests required, only a cheek swab. Ideal for people that have a phobia of needles.
Fairly affordable in comparison to a lot of other providers, yet still as in depth as you would expect.
Cons
Some users have stated that the results need to be explained a little better as they can initially be a little confusing
Though the company do provide ancestry testing, it may not be as in depth as some other providers that are solely dedicated to ancestry testing. With the ancestry testing from AlphaBiolabs, you will receive a certificate of the test that will tell you the breakdown of your lineage, but you may not get as much data as you would from another provider that can give you all sorts of documentation relating to your family tree.
Conclusion
There are a number of reasons as to why you should use AlphaBiolabs as your DNA testing provider.
They provide a wide range of tests that you can choose from all with great effectiveness.
Of course, they do have their pitfalls too, but with such a solid reputation and a plethora of positive reviews, they are certainly a good choice for your DNA testing requirements.