What type of DNA testing do you do?
SelfDecode employs an accurate genotyping technique to detect SNPs, which are single-base changes in DNA at a specific location. This technique is used to detect variations in genes and regions that affect a person's phenotype, such as hair color and eye color.
We perform genotyping. During the genotyping process, we choose which SNPs to look for in order to identify which variants are present in your DNA. A genotyping chip is used to analyze your variants at hundreds of thousands of common SNPs. We increase the number of analyzed SNPs to more than 80 million by using imputation, which predicts variants at non-genotyped SNPs based on your genotyped variants.
This method is extremely accurate because it allows us to accurately identify SNPs and determine which variants a person may have. Furthermore, to ensure maximum accuracy, our genotyping tests are highly controlled and the results are cross-checked. Our cutting-edge technology ensures that the results are both accurate and consistent.
It can detect the presence or absence of genetic variants more quickly and cheaply than traditional sequencing. In genotyping, we examine specific points in the DNA sequence to determine which SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), you have. We can predict which variants you have by looking at the SNPs in the same way that sequencing does.
Sequencing is a more accurate, expensive, and time-consuming method of measuring genetic variation. Sequencing is the process of recording the exact base pairs in a specific segment of DNA. The sequence may contain common SNPs, rare mutations, and regions that are constant between individuals, depending on the region. Whole-genome sequencing records all of your genome's base pairs. Unfortunately, current sequencing technology does not allow us to sequence a person's DNA in a timely and cost-effective manner sufficient to meet the needs of our users.
Is it 0.5x, 30x, or 100x coverage that you offer?
These numbers only apply to WGS (whole genome sequencing) and we do not do WGS testing; we do genotyping as described above.