Biotechnology Project

Milkyas Yohannes

Mod: 4

4/2/14

Biotechnology Project

        The topic that I chose for this project is Genotyping because I found that it was very interesting because it was a simple, short, and inexpensive way to sequence an extremely small portion of your genome and I wanted to explain what I thought about it.

Genotyping is the process of determining which genetic variants an individual possesses. Genotyping can be performed through a variety of different kinds of methods, depending on the variants that interest you and the resources that is available. However, you need to have some knowledge on the variants you want to look at. For the website or resource to obtain a sufficient amount of DNA, you usually need to give them a saliva sample, but other methods may occur. In 23andMe, after they get a sample of your saliva, they scan the sample barcode for privacy reasons and to identify to whom it belongs to. Next, there is a visual inspection to make sure it contains fluid up to the “fill line” on the side of the tube. If their is not enough liquid, they will call the customer and give them a replacement kit so they can spit again. Then they isolate and purify the DNA in your saliva. Once it’s extracted from the saliva sample, the concentration is measured to make sure there is enough for the actual genotyping process on the SNP chip. If the first attempt at the DNA extraction does not have satisfactory results, then a second attempt is made with some saliva that was set aside before the process started. If it fails again, then they send another kit so the customer can spit again. The most common cause of low DNA is that the preservative solution is not fully released into the tube, but some people just naturally have low DNA in their saliva. If it still fails again, then a refund is given to the customer and he/she most likely can’t use their service again.