2010 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2010. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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Are the things they do on NCIS with DNA actually true?      Robin Troxell, M.S.: I see high risk prenatal patients with the MFM OB. I also coordinate the monthly outreach pediatrics genetics clinic for the University of Missouri. DNA can be used to identifiy victims of crimes, or to identify suspects. However, most of the examples on NCIS and CSI are very expensive, and take much longer than on TV. For example, it usually takes a lab about two weeks to run a DNA sample, and most labs are backlogged with cases and may not be able to analyze the sample for at least a year. La Salle in NE (9th grade student)

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