The Genetic Link

Welcome to The Genetic Link, a blog providing new insights into DNA and RNA sample collection by DNA Genotek. DNA Genotek is a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies, Inc.

Think outside (the blood tube) box with non-invasive sample types

Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, resulting from variants such as Omicron and associated su...
Arya Mehta Apr 29, 2022

Celebrating women across our organization

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate all women in science and health. The OraSure family of co...
Arya Mehta Mar 08, 2022

Highlights and trends from ASHG 2021

Every year, we at DNA GenotekTM attend the largest conference in North America, hosted by the Americ...
Katherine Lawless Dec 02, 2021

Phosphorus: Stretching the Capabilities of Clinical-Grade Genetic Testing 

“Our mission is to extend and improve lives by making genomics a foundational part of everyone’s hea...
Katherine Lawless Nov 04, 2021

Non-invasive sample types for cancer research and screening

Cancer is a disease that is caused by changes in genes that control the way cells function. There ar...
Katherine Lawless Sep 23, 2021

4 ways to improve donor participation and recruitment for DNA sample collections

Not getting the participation numbers you were hoping for your study? Donor recruitment is the most ...
Katherine Lawless Sep 16, 2021

Why collect blood when saliva does the job? 4 examples of why saliva is a better source of DNA for genetic analysis

Blood collection for genomic DNA presents several disadvantages: it is invasive and inconvenient for...
Katherine Lawless Aug 12, 2021

Dr. Marcela Brocco, grant program recipient, and her team from Argentina are using saliva to learn how prenatal stress impacts infant development.

The Developing Economies Grant Program was launched to foster innovative and novel proposals for the...
Katherine Lawless Jul 22, 2021

Saliva sampling for COVID-19 testing in K-12 schools: Getting back to in-person learning

After more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for returning to in-person learning in...
Arya Mehta Jul 16, 2021

Genetic evolution of human taste found from saliva samples of hunter-gatherers, nomad herders, and farmers in Africa and Asia

“Taste is essential for the interaction of animals with their food and has co-evolved with diet. Hum...
Katherine Lawless Jun 15, 2021

All-of-US research program - collecting 1 million diverse DNA samples across America.

Project highlights presented at the Festival of Genomics 2021. In January of this year, the 6th annu...
Katherine Lawless Mar 31, 2021

DNA Genotek’s top 10 list for 2020

Those of you who follow The Genetic Link know that our top 10 list is an annual article we have publ...
Kathleen Weber Jan 12, 2021

RNA breakthroughs in autism, concussions, and COVID-19

Quadrant Biosciences is an innovative company that focuses on early detection of neurological disord...
Katherine Lawless Jan 07, 2021

Trending topics at ASHG 2020

For the first time, like most conferences this year, the American Society of Human Genomics (ASHG) w...
Katherine Lawless Nov 24, 2020

A discussion of challenges and solutions for global shortages of materials for COVID-19 testing

The world is talking about the coronavirus pandemic and global health crisis we find ourselves livin...
Katherine Lawless Oct 27, 2020

3 reasons why you should stabilize your DNA sample correctly

From sample collection to data analysis, it takes a lot of work to perform a successful genetics stu...
Katherine Lawless Sep 23, 2020

How to obtain enough DNA from saliva with difficult to collect donors

The amount of DNA yielded from oral samples can be variable since the amount of DNA collected highly...
Katherine Lawless Aug 20, 2020

Overcoming the challenges of sample collection for COVID-19

“From sample collection through testing, we are working to help in the fight against COVID-19.” – Sc...
Katherine Lawless Jul 29, 2020

Revitalizing at-home-health with first-void urine sampling

Major shifts in health care procedures have begun as health facilities adapt at-home telehealth-visi...
Charles Harkness Jun 16, 2020

Laboratory safety and sample collection devices for SARS-CoV-2

On June 4, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a letter to clinical laboratory ...
Scott Rabuka Jun 10, 2020

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