Experts harp on best practices for paternity testing

Experts have called for the adoption of advanced and latest methods in paternity testing in the country. They said the backdrop of paternity fraud and DNA disputes in Nigeria and other countries underscores the need for adoption of quality diagnostic methods and tools. The experts said Sanger Sequencing by Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) is the best […]

Experts have called for the adoption of advanced and latest methods in paternity testing in the country.
They said the backdrop of paternity fraud and DNA disputes in Nigeria and other countries underscores the need for adoption of quality diagnostic methods and tools.
The experts said Sanger Sequencing by Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) is the best method for paternity testing worldwide.
They said despite the introduction of Next Generation Sequencing [NGS], Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) has remained at the forefront because of its precision, accuracy, affordability and proven track record.
Dr Emeka Obiodunukwe, the chief executive officer of DemyHealth, a leading genomic centre, said CE has been the backbone of DNA analysis for decades, offering high reliability in genetic comparisons.
He said, “This technique focuses on analysing 15 – 27 Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) from human DNA, which are highly variable between individuals and serve as the perfect markers for establishing biological relationships. With a decades long legacy of delivering greater than 99.99% accuracy in results, CE is synonymous with reliability in legal and personal paternity cases.”
He said contrary to the complex nature and higher costs associated with other methods, CE provides precise outcomes within a shorter time frame and requires fewer markers.

He said globally most accredited laboratories use at least 13 – 16 STR markers which typically provide accuracy exceeding 99.99%, adding that some labs such as DemyHealth use a higher number of markers (21 – 27) to increase accuracy and resolve complex cases such as when a close relative of the alleged father is the true biological father (for instance brothers).”

He added that CE has been validated, adopted and standardised worldwide for paternity testing compared to NGS that is not widely adopted or standardised yet for paternity testing.

He further said DemyHealth places a strong emphasis on transparency, encouraging clients to inquire about the specific methodologies used for testing.

Hajarat Abilo Alfa, Senior Molecular Biologist at DemyHealth genomic Centre, pointed out that, “CE generates reliable and highly accurate sequencing data better suited for DNA tests, where the aim is to establish familial relationships. CE remains more than sufficient whereas NGS is more suitable for complex genetic cases, such as identifying hereditary disorders.”

Ali Kasiemobi Casmir, Head of Molecular Diagnostic Unit/Operations at the centre, said, “Unlike facilities experimenting paternity testing via NGS technology and trying to navigate complex and uncharted territories thereby facing challenges of reliability, higher fees with extended timelines, DemyHealth’s use of CE for paternity testing offers rapid and dependable outcomes without sacrificing precision. While we reserve NGS for testing complex genomic variants for disease identification and not paternity testing.”