The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Power of DNA

Howard "It's exploding. A whole new wave a revolution in forensic science, in paternity testing and it promises to be that for medicine." — Howard Coleman

Howard Coleman, Director of Genelex, a DNA lab in Seattle, Washington and an expert who has been a witness for the court, shares the power of DNA and where he believes the future of this technology lies.

DNA Sampling
DNA can be found almost anywhere, even in the most common places.
Clothing
Hat bands
Stamps
Envelope flaps
Hair
Fingernails
The most common way of testing for DNA is sampling the inner cheek with a cotton swab.

Current DNA Uses
Forensic Science
Criminal Paternity Testing
Body Identification
DNA Databanking: DNA profiles of individuals currently in law enforcement databanks.
No-suspect Casework: DNA profiles on evidence, primarily from sexual assaults, for whom law enforcement officials do not have viable suspects.

Paternity Testing
DNA Testing is the most accurate and effective technology available today—99.9% accurate in determining the biological father of a child.

Behavioral Genetics
"We used to think that our fate was in our stars. Now we know that, in large measure, our fate is in our genes." — Francis Crick, Nobel laureate who co-discovered DNA's structure

Scientists estimate that roughly half of our behavior is due to genetic factors. Whether we are prone to depression or not, spend money freely or save scrupulously, have to slave to lose weight or can shed pounds easily. More and more elements of daily life prove to have their roots in a person's DNA.

The Future
Solving Crimes
As we have more programs with DNA databanks and we are able to look at old evidence, it will solve a lot of crimes. Howard believes that it will cut down on the incidence of rape because it catches these criminals earlier in their career. Typically these criminals commit more than one rape.

Medicine
Howard and his company believe that genetic testing is the leading edge of the health care revolution making medicine more personalized and safer. "It is going to lead to an era of personalized medicine, where you get prescriptions based on your DNA," explains Howard.

A 1998 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated 2.3 million Americans annually suffer serious reactions or side-affects to prescribed drugs and more than 100,000 of them die from these adverse drug reactions, making it the fourth leading cause of death in America. About 50% of Americans suffer from genetic glitches that raise their risk of having an adverse drug reaction.

For more information on DNA technology:
Genelex Corporation
12277 134th Court NE, Suite 130
Redmond, Washington 98052
www.genelex.com

From the show DNA Stories