Viability Testing

A standard paternity test requires the participation of the child and alleged father. However, in some cases, an alleged father or child is unavailable for testing, or there are difficulties in obtaining a buccal swab from the patient. We are able to conduct paternity tests using a wide range of unusual samples, such as preserved tissue or blood samples, hair (with root), and others.

A viability test is required for all unusual samples before we conduct a full-scale paternity test. The viability test will show whether or not an unusual sample contains enough DNA that can be used in a paternity test.

Viability test fees vary according to the difficulty of obtaining DNA from the sample. Please call us at 1-800-281-2906 or use our online contact form to speak with one of our viability test specialists. You will need to provide the following details about the sample:

• What the sample is
• How much of the sample there is
• How it is stored and for how long
• If the sample is at a coroner’s or medical examiner’s office, the contact information for the office