Ethnicity Tests Aid Adoption

A new ethnicity testing service helps ensure that adopted children are placed with families of a similar ethnicity.

Ethnicity testing can be carried out in a number of ways. The two most common are mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome testing. Testing mitochondrial DNA, chromosomes passed exclusively through the female line that change little over time, pinpoints an individual's maternal ancestry. Testing the Y chromosome, passed from father to son, can reveal a person's paternal lineage.

The new service, from DNA Bioscience (London, UK), offers an advanced form of DNA profiling known as an autosomal test, which can reveal an individual's entire bio-geographical ancestry from a simple mouth swab. Autosomal testing offers a complete picture of an individual's ancestry, whereas mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome tests reveal just one element. The test was developed in response to the Children Act 1989 in the United Kingdom, which calls for the ethnic origin of a family to closely match that of an adopted child.

"Without knowing anything about an individual's family history, we can use a mouth swab to reveal their proportional European, African, and East Asian ancestry,” noted Avi Lasarow, managing director of DNA Bioscience. "This is of paramount importance for people wanting to adopt children. Once the child's ancestry is known, the agency can then select the best possible family match for the child, providing the child with a start into a family life that closely matches the child's ethnic origins.”




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