DNAprint Genomics (DNAG)

[mingwan0]

Herald Tribune article

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040504/BUSINESS/405040553/1200

DNAPrint upgrades genetics test

By MARGARET ANN MIILLE

[e-mail]

SARASOTA -- DNAPrint Genomics Inc. is phasing out its original genetics test in favor of a more powerful version that recently gave Scotland Yard a fresh lead in its 12-year hunt for a serial sex offender.

The upgraded ANCESTRYbyDNA 2.5, called DNA Witness when marketed to forensic experts, has helped British authorities narrow their search for a man who has assaulted more than 80 women -- most of them elderly -- in the London area since 1992.

The test, which determines a person's proportional ancestry from among four major population groups around the world, tracked the assailant's ethnic origins to the Caribbean.

The test determines to what extent a person is of Native American, East Asian, Indo-European or sub-Saharan African heritage.

The 177 "ancestry informative markers" in the man's genetic data show that he comes from Native American, European and African stock -- a combination found only in the Caribbean.

Tony Frudakis, DNAPrint's chief science officer, said people with this genetic combination most frequently hail from former British island colonies.

"Then it's just a question of which island," he said.

The test also revealed the genetic makeup of the attacker's parents.

The London Metropolitan Police plans to use the DNA test on its officers with Caribbean ancestry to compare genetic profiles and further pinpoint where the man came from.

The 2.5 version has an average statistical error rate of 3.3 percentage points, compared with 4.7 percentage points for the earlier 2.0 version.

The test is called ANCESTRYbyDNA when it's sold to genealogy buffs exploring their family trees.

"With 2.5, it's more narrow, more precise," Frudakis said. "It does exactly the same job; it just does it better."

But the new test does a few things more. It can distinguish whether a person's European descent is primarily that of continental European, Middle Eastern or Indo-Pakistani origin. Likewise, someone's East Asian ancestry can be further specified as Northern, Central or Southeast Asian.

DNAPrint will continue selling the earlier version of the recreational test until June 1 at a discounted rate of $99.

The 2.5 version, which was launched earlier this year, retails for $219. Customers who buy the earlier version will receive an upgrade for $158.

DNA Witness costs much more -- $1,000 -- because it's much more involved.

Frudakis said although thousands of consumers from around the globe have tried the ancestry test, the English sexual assault case marks the first time it's been used by foreign forensics experts.

That market niche has been a hard sell in the United States, he added, because the test's ability to assemble racial compositions is politically controversial.

DNAPrint, which late last year secured $8 million in financing over two years from a California investment group, had a $7.79 million loss in 2003.

The company's over-the- counter shares were selling for 4 cents at the close of regular trading Monday.

End of article

The last highlighted point is interesting (and disturbing). What do people want, political correctness or rapists and murderers behind bars? OK, in the real world it is not that simple I know but...