DNAprint Genomics (DNAG)

[mingwan0]

W2P, OK I'll have a crack at it lol. Let's review the salient points of the original press release:

http://www.dnaprint.com/2003/pressreleases/pr_08_25_03.htm

Monday August 25, 11:25 am ET

"SARASOTA, Fla., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DNAPrint Genomics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DNAP - News; DNAPrint or the "Company") announced today that it will serve as a subcontractor for a new National Institutes of Justice (the "NIJ") research grant."

"DNAPrint will apply its expertise in the measurement of population structure and genome screening to assist the NIJ and the grantee map genetic markers of a certain forensics value, considered by the Company to be complementary to its DNAWitness efforts. The project is broken into two- phases, the first of which has already been approved. The Company would be paid approximately $50,000 to produce approximately 80,000 genotypes. Other details are not disclosed."

OK, first of all the cost from the above is $0.625 per genotype which compare favorably with our advertised genotyping rates:

http://www.dnaprint.com/2003/services/genotyping.html

"We use the most economical genotyping platform available, Beckman Coulter’s GenomeLabTM SNPstream Genotyping System. The platform uses a multiplexing format to generate large amounts of accurate data with the minimum of reagents. Each reaction tests 12 SNPs at once, minimizing the amount of precious samples required and demonstrating 80% conversion of PCR primers to interpretable data. Using Beckman Coulter’s GenomeLabTM SNPstream Genotyping System allows us to offer genotyping rates as low as $0.47 (in volume) per genotype. Even small projects are economical with this platform, although rates will vary based on the scope of your project."

"Our experienced scientists will draw on our proprietary technologies and techniques to screen even the hard to genotype regions of the genome. We combine Single Base extension technology with our proven expertise and deliver to you accurate, reproducible and timely results. We are capable of producing 150,000 genotypes in a single 8 hour shift."

Not bad, a mark-up of some 32% on the advertised cost for volume services. Hope the NIJ contractor hasn't seen this!

Now, we will be producing approximately 80,000 genotypes. What does this mean in practice?

If DNAP are capable of producing 150,000 genotypes in a single 8 hour shift will we be receiving $50K for just under four and a half hours work?

It is not clear whether or not the 80,000 genotypes relate to the first phase only or both phases. In the first case of course we would be looking at a subset of an unknown larger number of genotypes.

A genotype is formally "The combination of alleles located on homologous chromosomes that determines a specific characteristic or trait". So, does the 80,000 refer to the total number of samples or should this be divided by the number of alleles concerned for the trait in question to get the true number of samples? I think it is the former. So, I think that we are looking for 80,000 "things" of interest to somebody. It is surprising how often any "magic number" arises in practice. How about the following?

http://www.genelex.com/paternitytesting/paternitybook3.html

Another fallacy is the one heard in the Simpson case preliminary hearing. O,J. Simpson's blood type matched blood found on the sidewalk trailing away from the murder scene. Defense attorneys pointed out that 80,000 people in Los Angeles share that blood type. True, but all of those 80,000 people didn't visit 85 South Bundy where the homicides occurred.

http://www.nlectc.org/txtfiles/policetech.html

While NCIC 2000 is to have a database of single fingerprints of wanted persons, the International Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is slated to be a huge database of tenprint cards (cards with prints of all ten fingers). As of 1996, the bureau processed anywhere from 40,000 fingerprints a day to upward of 80,000 on unusually heavy days.

http://www.lao.ca.gov/analysis_1999/crim_justice/crim_justice_crosscutting_anl99.html

About 80,000 persons are required by state law to register for life as sex offenders with their local police chief or county sheriff because they were convicted of felony or misdemeanor sex-related crimes such as rape, child molestation, sexual assault, indecent exposure, or possession of pornography.

http://www.wordbridges.net/elderabuse/aar/vol2issue5/v2i5.pdf

They found that prosecution procedures vary widely between counties, with one prosecutor dismissing nearly three out of four charges brought in his district while another one convicts 57% of those charged with domestic violence. Overall, the paper found that 53% of all domestic violence charges statewide are dismissed by prosecutors and judges, that only about a third of the domestic violence crimes reported to authorities result in convictions, and of those 80,000 convictions they examined, only 18% are sentenced to "time behind bars."

http://www.fiu.edu/~coa/areas/ltcsvc/appendixf.pdf

There are 80,000-100,000 veterans in Broward County.

http://www.ncja.org/forum_2003_plenary_panel_discu.html

Florida's Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which contains 87 percent of all crime prints in the state and together with the criminal history system, leads to more than 80,000 arrests every month.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/dnamtgtrans6/trans-g.html

We have -- we have now been operating a data bank for ten years in Virginia. We are talking about a database right now approximately 200,000 samples, 75, 80,000 of which are actually profiled and in the state level of CODIS.

http://www.familystudies.org/genetics_info.htm

It is estimated that the human genome consists of at least 80,000 genes.

http://www.danceimages.com/outlinesII.html

80,000 Americans have SCA (homozygous)

All the above completely tongue in cheek BTW.