Why it is performed
- Assess paternity, maternity, sibling or other biological relationships.
- Obtain private information where all legally entitled parties consent.
- Provide a chain-of-custody test for judicial or administrative proceedings when the legal service is contracted.
How it is performed
For an information-only test, identified buccal swabs are collected. For a legal test, a professional verifies identity, documents consent, seals samples and maintains documented chain of custody to the partner laboratory.
Preparation
- State from the outset if legal validity is needed: a private or anonymous sample cannot later be converted into a legal test.
- Consent and proof of representation are required for minors or people lacking capacity.
- Do not submit covert samples: they may breach rights, be inadmissible and provide no identity assurance.
How Askabide processes it
Partner laboratory
Multiple STR or SNP markers are analysed at a partner laboratory. Kinship indices are calculated by combining participant results and appropriate population frequencies.
Askabide manages information, specimen and traceability; the specialist technique is performed externally.
Results and indicative intervals
Intervals vary by method, analyser, reagent, units, age, sex, pregnancy, menstrual-cycle phase and reference population. The valid interval is the one printed on the laboratory report.
| Parameter or result | Indicative reference | How it is interpreted |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusion | Incompatibilidad genética | Incompatible markers allow the tested relationship to be excluded under laboratory criteria. |
| Non-exclusion/compatibility | Probabilidad calculada | The report provides an index and probability rather than a simple uncalculated 'positive'. |
| Inconclusive | Puede requerir más participantes o marcadores | More likely in indirect relationships, when a parent is unavailable or sample quality is poor. |
Important limitations
- Certainty depends on case design, participants and sample quality.
- Monozygotic twins may not be distinguishable with standard kinship testing.
- An information-only test is not automatically legally admissible.
- Testing may reveal unexpected family information and requires informed consent.