DNA Genotek's Blog - The Genetic Link

Comparing minimally invasive sample collection techniques for large population-based telomere length studies

By: Erin Carpenter on 06/14/18 9:21

Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker of age, longevity and age-related disease. If you are an avid follower of our blog, The Genetic Link, you’ll notice that we’ve posted about ...

Obesity, Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk in Italian Youth

By: Erin Carpenter on 05/24/18 9:23

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a very serious and life-threatening condition. Hypertension (HT) is a significant risk factor contributing to CVD, and also one that may be ...

The key to eliminating bias in genetic studies could be in our spit: expert panel discussion

By: Erin Carpenter on 05/16/18 14:05

Are you questioning what sample-type to collect for your genetic research project? Are you considering saliva for DNA, RNA, or epigenetic analysis? What should you consider ...

6 innovations that can improve human health (part 2 of 2)

By: Erin Carpenter on 04/30/18 14:29

Here we continue our World Health Day top 6 innovations with the potential to improve human health countdown. If you missed part 1, you can find it here, where we kicked off ...

6 genetic innovations that can improve human health (part 1 of 2)

By: Erin Carpenter on 04/10/18 13:38

World Health Day (April 7th) falls within this month, and to celebrate we thought it would be fun to countdown the top 6 genetic innovations that we feel have the potential to ...

In Celebration of International Women’s Day: 8 Inspirational Female Scientists

By: Erin Carpenter on 03/08/18 8:06

March 8th is International Women’s Day. In recognition, we are highlighting the extraordinary achievements of 8 female scientists who made significant contributions to the ...

Atlas Biomed: tackling personalized wellness with both genomics and microbiome

By: Shauna White on 03/05/18 10:25

One of the things I like most about my job at DNA Genotek is the opportunity to speak with customers who are breaking new ground in the fields of genomics and microbiome. In ...

DNA Genotek’s top 10 list for 2017

By: Brian Smith on 01/18/18 13:22

I have to admit, coming up with the 9th edition of DNA Genotek's "Top 10 list" was much more difficult than I imagined it would be. There are so many great things that happened ...

Could microRNA from saliva be a predictor of concussion symptoms in children?

By: Shauna White on 11/30/17 14:15

The issue of concussions has attracted considerable media coverage in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 153 people in the United States ...

Discovering the genetics behind Ebola viral disease resistance

By: Kerry Chatburn on 10/17/17 14:13

Phase I: DNA sample Collection The Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The average EVD case ...

TISMOO: Ground-breaking science for personalized medicine

By: Kerry Chatburn on 09/22/17 9:46

Personalized medicine, also referred to as genomic medicine or precision medicine, is defined by the National Human Genome Research Institute is an approach to healthcare that ...

Losing weight – do your genes play a role?

By: Erin Carpenter on 05/24/17 10:16

With Summer and the promise of warmer weather around the corner, it’s time to start putting away our winter coats and unpack our summer apparel. If you’re like me, you’re ...

The SPARK project – Fueling the fire on autism research

By: Kerry Chatburn on 05/04/17 10:33

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2012 that 1 in 68 children in the US have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) [1]

23andMe - 10 years and over 2 million DNA saliva samples collected with Oragene

By: Brian Smith on 04/18/17 9:15

Ten years ago, DNA Genotek had a vision and a unique product that we thought had the potential to change the world of genomics by allowing easy self-collection of DNA from ...

Does marital disruption accelerate aging? An investigation into salivary telomere length, stress, and aging

By: Erin Carpenter on 03/06/17 11:00

I came across a paper recently that combines two research areas that I find extremely interesting: the use of salivary telomere length (TL) as a biomarker to predict biological ...

10 must-ask questions to help personal genomics companies get ahead

By: Kerry Chatburn on 02/28/17 11:07

Personal genomics is a branch of human genomics focused on sequencing and analyzing the unique genome of an individual to help determine optimal healthcare decisions… at least ...

DNA Genotek’s top 10 list for 2016

By: Brian Smith on 01/13/17 11:05

Writing a top 10 list for each year has been a tradition at DNA Genotek since 2009. This is my first time penning the article and I’m lucky to have so many topics to choose ...

Patients, doctors and scientists collaborate on genetic research study for metastatic breast cancer

By: Shauna White on 10/25/16 10:39

At DNA Genotek, we are continually being introduced to new and exciting research projects through the innovative work of our customers. I recently came across a particularly ...

Spoiler for ASHG 2016

By: Debra Ereaut on 10/06/16 15:31

Our excitement is growing as we quickly approach the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) meeting in Vancouver, Canada from Oct 18th – 22nd. With so many events scheduled, ...

Community pharmacists play a leading role in precision medicine research project

By: Shauna White on 07/12/16 10:30

There are few subjects that have received as much coverage in the genetics space in recent months as precision medicine. The conversation about precision medicine began many ...

DNA from saliva helps identify remains of ancient king

By: Shauna White on 04/22/16 14:30

A year or so ago, Nature Communications published an article that highlighted how researchers in the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester successfully used DNA ...

Customer feedback means action

By: Brian Smith on 02/09/16 10:30

It is a new year and we are excited to share what changes we made as a result of your feedback in 2015. Your suggestions kept us busy, so let us take a few moments to present ...

DNA Genotek’s top 10 list for 2015

By: Ian Curry on 01/12/16 10:00

Wow, what an interesting year 2015 has turned out to be. As it comes to a close, I find myself thinking about all the incredible advancements I've seen over the course of my ...

The power of ambient temperature sample shipping and storage

By: Devin Hale on 10/14/15 13:30

You may be aware that samples collected with DNA Genotek kits and reagents can be shipped and stored at ambient temperature. However, you may not have considered the many ...

Customer updates - survey says?

By: Ian Curry on 06/22/15 13:24

Once again, it is time for our Customer Satisfaction Survey blog updates. To quickly recap, if you are new to our Customer Satisfaction Surveys, we send very brief ...

Interview with Richard Lumb, Founder and CEO of Front Line Genomics

By: Shauna White on 05/27/15 10:00

Front Line Genomics is a new company with a mission to help bring the benefits of genomics to patients faster. DNA Genotek interviewed Richard Lumb, CEO of Front Line Genomics ...

All about that base: applications of the fifth base of DNA

By: Lisa Gamwell on 05/12/15 13:00

Methylated cytosine, also known as “the fifth base of DNA” has attracted a lot of research attention lately due to its importance in controlling gene expression. This fifth ...

How and why to integrate the microbiome into your research

By: Megan McGrath on 04/15/15 13:44

So, you’ve just completed your latest human genomics research study and you’re waiting to hear if it has been accepted for publication. In the meantime, you’ve been exploring ...

Stabilize your sample: A “right from the start” Q&A

By: Devin Hale on 03/11/15 10:56

In an earlier blog post we discussed the importance of reliable samples for human genomics, microbiome and infectious disease nucleic acid based applications, and how a lack of ...

Oragene enables a large-scale array-CGH and exome sequencing study

By: Shauna White on 02/25/15 10:57

In the summer of 2011 we wrote about an exciting project out of the United Kingdom that selected Oragene collection kits for a study that aimed to unlock genetic changes ...

How critical is it to stabilize & standardize the microbiome profile?

By: Megan McGrath on 02/18/15 10:04

One of the most critical components of studying the microbiome is ensuring you have a profile that is representative of the microbial community present in the donor. The ...

Do you know the biggest challenge in genetics?

By: Devin Hale on 01/27/15 10:38

I’m sure you are familiar with the expression “Garbage in, Garbage out”. Popular in the field of computer science, it implies that incorrect or low quality input will result ...

DNA Genotek Helping Hands Program supports rare disease research

By: Cindy MacCullough on 12/22/14 10:12

The DNA Genotek Helping Hands Program is designed to assist organizations that are innovators in disease research, disease prevention and treatment. The goal of the program is ...

DNA Genotek's latest changes based on your feedback

By: Ian Curry on 12/15/14 11:38

Several months ago, I posted a blog highlighting how feedback from customers plays a key role in helping us identify opportunities to improve the products and services we ...

Oragene/saliva samples bring ancestral genetic knowledge to public

By: Shauna White on 12/02/14 13:33

Everyone at DNA Genotek is familiar with event-based collections. We’ve worked with dozens of customers over the years to help facilitate collecting samples for breast cancer, ...

The Future of Genomics in Mexico – an interview with Dr. Gerardo Jimenez-Sanchez

By: Kerry Chatburn on 09/11/14 11:17

Dr. Gerardo Jimenez Sanchez is a fundamental and prominent figure in the development and expansion of human genomics in Mexico. His accomplishments are equally impressive as ...

A quick guide to application compatibility for Oragene – PCR to NGS

By: Shauna White on 09/03/14 13:36

In a recent article on The Genetic Link, we talked about going global and how our regulatory strategy helps support our customers who are conducting genetic research. Today, I ...

More DNA samples in less time for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 research project

By: Shauna White on 07/31/14 13:22

Obtaining DNA samples in sufficient numbers and in a timely manner can be a barrier to achieving statistical relevance for research studies. Maximizing recruitment means ...

Researcher Starts Open Access Genome Project in the UK

By: Shauna White on 07/24/14 13:46

Since the launch of The Genetic Link blog back in 2009, we’ve shared dozens of stories from the field highlighting remote DNA collections, innovative approaches to research, ...

Oragene facilitates pharmacogenetic study in Saudi Arabia

By: Kerry Chatburn on 06/10/14 13:47

We often profile customers who are working on particularly interesting genetic research projects on The Genetic Link, in the hope that it will benefit other customers. Dr. ...

HEMAgene•BUFFY COAT wins 2014 ISBER outstanding new product award

By: Shauna White on 06/02/14 13:16

DNA Genotek is a recognized leader in the biostabilization technology field and today, we received a new honor for our work in this area. Our HEMAgene™•BUFFY COAT[1] ...

Going global: how our regulatory strategy helps genetic research

By: Shauna White on 04/24/14 13:27

In a recent article on The Genetic Link, we talked about our quality and regulatory process and the benefits this brings to our customers. Today, I am focusing on the work we ...

Large Cohort Study Shines Light on the Fragile X Syndrome Gray Area

By: Shauna White on 04/15/14 14:23

The author of this article, Lisa Gamwell, is a Sales Development Analyst at DNA Genotek.

Customer feedback – are we listening?

By: Ian Curry on 03/18/14 13:19

In this recent article, we took an in-depth look at DNA Genotek’s customer service and technical support to understand why our customers value it so much. This week, we’re ...

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