What is DNA Fingerprinting? Let's learn about it simply!

When you watch a teledrama or a film about criminal investigations on TV, you must have heard dialogues like "Only when the DNA report comes can we say exactly who the criminal is," right? Sometimes you may have seen in the newspaper that a dead body was identified years later through a DNA test. What exactly is DNA fingerprinting that everyone is talking about? Today, we will talk about this amazing technology that can identify a person just like a fingerprint, but with even greater precision and accuracy.

The 'genetic map' inside our bodies

Simply put, DNA is a set of tiny instructions found inside every cell in our body. Just like a blueprint for building a house, all the information our body needs to grow, develop, and function properly day after day is written in this DNA as code. The full name of DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid .

This chain of DNA is made up of 4 types of chemical compounds. We call these 'bases'. These come together in pairs to form 'base pairs'. Can you imagine, there are about 3 billion of these pairs in just one cell in our body! The order in which these are linked together tells our cells how to make new, identical cells.

This complete set of DNA in our body is called the ' genome ' . Here's the amazing thing. Every human being in the world has 99.9% of their genome identical. Yes, your DNA and that of someone you don't know are 99.9% identical. But that tiny 0.1% difference is what makes you and me physically and mentally different. Not only our skin color , hair texture, height, but also our susceptibility to certain diseases is determined by this tiny difference.

DNA fingerprinting technology uses chemicals to separate these DNA strands and identify the parts that are unique to you, which are 0.1% different. The end result is a striped pattern. This pattern can be compared with a pattern obtained from another DNA sample.

So how do you get a DNA fingerprint?

This is not as complicated or scary as you might think. This test requires taking a sample of cells from your body.

• Inside the mouth: You can use a swab to scrape the inside of the mouth from the cheek side.
• Skin: A very small piece of skin.
• From the hair: a root of a hair tree.
• Bodily fluids: From saliva, sweat, or other bodily fluids.

But more than all these methodsThe easiest and most commonly used method is to take a blood sample.

What happens in the lab then is simply this:

1. DNA isolation: Chemicals are added to the sample to separate the DNA from the cells in it.

2. DNA cutting: Next, another chemical process breaks these long DNA chains into the specific repeating patterns we need. These are the parts that vary from person to person.

3. Making copies: Now these tiny pieces of DNA are copied millions of times, meaning they are made into many copies, increasing in size. Then it is easier to test.

4. Pattern recognition: Next, these DNA fragments are placed in a gel-like medium and an electric current is passed through it. The DNA fragments then separate into large and small pieces based on their size and move through the gel. Then, when a special dye is added, these separated DNA strands glow under ultraviolet light or a laser beam.

What are the real benefits of DNA fingerprinting?

Since the day this technology was discovered in 1984, its benefits have increased one by one. Its benefits can mainly be divided into two parts.

Is it possible to know about family illnesses in advance?

Yes, this is a very important medical use of DNA technology. There are some diseases that are passed down from generation to generation through genes. For example, some types of cancer (breast, ovarian, colon cancer), heart diseases, and diseases like Thalassemia , which is common in our country.

If someone in your family has a similar disease, you can find out through a DNA test whether you have a genetic predisposition to developing that disease. This does not mean that you will definitely develop the disease. However, knowing in advance that you are at risk gives you a great opportunity to protect yourself from the disease or detect it early by making healthy lifestyle changes and getting the necessary medical tests done on time. If you have any concerns about this, the best thing to do is to talk to your family doctor or a specialist.