Norwich lab hits the headlines

The availability of the first over-the-counter paternity tests sparked a national debate last month.

Newspapers asked if we would see families torn apart by the easy access to the test.

The company behind the kit – Anglia DNA, based at Norwich Research Park – told us how they’ve fared since making national news.

During the first week in February, Boots the Chemist became the first high-street chain in the UK to sell over-the-counter paternity kits. The kit is manufactured by Anglia DNA, who also carry out analysis of the DNA samples in their labs at Norwich Research Park.

The availability of the test through a major UK chain was widely reported in the media. But The Guardian raised the unease among medical experts that the genetic test results “could impact hugely on… families without any proper support.”

The Mail asked if the easy availability of the test could “tear families apart”. For £30 a kit and £130 to process the results, the Norwich lab can check a man’s DNA against a child’s to find out if he is the ­biological father.

In Britain, about 50,000 children born every year are registered without a father on the birth certificate, according to the company. For the test, samples of cells are collected by mouth swab from the father, child and mother and require consent and proof of id.

“Every paternity issue is different, but for the majority of cases, families receive the results they were expecting,” says Dr Mandy Hartley, technical manager at Anglia DNA, manufacturer of assuredna, arguing it provides families with “peace of mind” so they can move on with their lives.

Since causing a stir in the media, the company have seen a massive surge in business. While not disclosing exact figures, their managing director, Dr Thomas Haizel, said: “We’ve been very busy – far busier than we anticipated. We’ve had to recruit 3 more members of staff to deal with the workload.” He added that the coverage has raised their profile in all areas of the business, which includes testing siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles. The new staff have also been recruited to help develop the company’s new drug testing service.

The company processed 3000 paternity tests last year. The bulk of Anglia DNA’s business comes from carrying out paternity tests for the courts. The over-the-counter kits would not be sufficient in a court of law, but do have an accuracy rate of 99.9% for a positive result and 100% for a negative.