Based in Australia, myDNA has a vision of helping people to make better health, wellness and lifestyle decisions using DNA testing. Headquartered in Melbourne, the company has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, as well as over here in the UK.

What do you get if you buy?

Holding a wealth of knowledge and expertise, myDNA has a huge amount of experience. myDNA places a focus on evidence-based and peer-reviewed research, all of which is vital to the continued success of myDNA. If you are looking to improve your healthy lifestyle, then myDNA can help you to plan your exercise routine and diet accordingly. Alongside intolerance testing, the DNA test can help you to develop a diet plan which will see you become happier and healthier.

The myDNA testing laboratory

Are you interested in what actually happens with the DNA samples you send over to myDNA? Do you want to know how the expert scientists come to the conclusion of your results? Well, now you can. You’ve found the perfect place to learn exactly what happens to your DNA, take a look below.

A different kind of DNA

Nowadays, people associate DNA testing with fingerprints at a crime scene or a way of finding out about your ancestry. But, actually, genetic testing has now become an accepted part of modern day life, but there are very few of us who understand how it works.

myDNA take your cheek swab sample which is then turned into a report outlining your recommended exercise regime but also your ideal nutritional programme.

DNA testing in the laboratory

The location in which the DNA testing happens is ordinary. The equipment, however, is not. The state-of-the-art laboratory and testing equipment allow myDNA to deliver efficient and excellent results. Whilst manufactured in the USA, these important PCR machines are the engines that drive the myDNA business forwards.

Small in size, the lab’s arrays are also flown in from the States, and they are packed in dry ice. What do they look like? They look eerily similar to a miniature solar panel, alongside thousands of tiny holes. These pinprick holes measure one genetic variant in a person, and inside each hole is a dried particle of chemical substances which become active when a certain liquid is added.

Breaking open the DNA cells

The cheek swab samples are sent to the labs via post at specimen reception. The lab scientists are then able to log all swabs using the barcode that is placed on the tube during your sample’s collection. What this means is that if there is a problem or a query about any samples, then they can be quickly and accurately identified.

The DNA itself is extracted from your cheek swab sample using a substance knows as proteinase-K, breaking open the cells and releasing DNA from the nucleus. These cells are then incubated and broken open further.

Next, the lab scientists use the technology known as magnetic bead extraction technology, which attaches DNA to the magnetic particles, allowing it to go through a series of washes. At the end of the day, DNA is separated from magnetic particles. This results in purified DNA in a buffer solution.