Frequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of using Nimble Diagnostics?
What are the important things to look for in a testing company?
How is the sample taken?
How is the test performed?
Why is information regarding the parent(s) ethnicity required?
Do I have to provide information on the parents ethnicity?
How are the results presented?
For siblingship and grandparentage tests, is a sample from a parent required?
Is there a minimum age requirement for individuals being tested?
What if the individuals being tested live in different cities?
Can the test be performed on someone who is unavailable?
Can Nimble Diagnostics provide a court-admissible DNA relationship test?
Can the testing be billed to my credit card discreetly?
Does Nimble Diagnostics accept international orders?
How is shipping arranged?
Tell me about Nimble Diagnostics.
Does Nimble Diagnostics offer other genetic testing services?
How can I contact Nimble Diagnostics?

What are the advantages of using Nimble Diagnostics?

Highest standards - Unlike many other relationship DNA testing companies, our laboratory is fully accredited and certified by the AABB, ISO 17025, and NATA, ensuring your test is performed to the highest international standards.
Highest quality - All of our senior analytical staff hold PhD's, so you can be sure that our tests are performed and interpreted by experts.
Painless testing - Samples are taken simply by gently rubbing a soft swab on the inside of the cheek. No blood or other sample collection is required so the testing is painless and non-invasive.
We accept international orders - We accept orders from anywhere in the world, and the sample can be sent to one of several Nimble Diagnostics international locations. We also can accept payment in several currencies.
No hidden charges - Other testing companies have hidden costs and will charge an additional fee to provide the results once testing has been completed. ALL of the costs to collect the sample, process the result, and report the result back to the requestor are included in the prices quotes by us, guaranteed.
Privacy guaranteed - Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. Any genetic or other information generated by us or provided by you or will NEVER be shared with a third party, such as an insurer, employer, or medical practitioner without your express written permission. Any and all personal data can be destroyed on request.

What are the important things to look for in a testing company?

There are several DNA testing companies offering what look like very cheap tests, however, NOT ALL DNA TESTS ARE OF EQUAL QUALITY. To avoid getting an incorrect result from your test which could have devastating consequences, always ensure the following:

The testing company is fully accredited, preferably by international accreditation bodies such as the AABB, ISO 17025, and NATA. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025 is the world standard in the certification of competence of testing and calibration of medical diagnostic laboratories. ISO 17025 certification ensures a high level of competence and compliance for the certified laboratory, ensuring that testing is undertaken by professionals. The AABB also certifies laboratories, and runs a accreditation programme specifically for high competence levels in DNA relationship testing. Nimble Diagnostics' lab is accredited by both bodies.
The company uses a an adequate number of genetic markers - To cut costs, many companies will use only a small number of genetic markers, which severely limits their accuracy. They will quote a 99% accuracy which sounds high, but in fact means that 1 in every 100 of their tests results are INCORRECT - are you willing to risk that on such an important result? Nimble Diagnostics uses 18 genetic markers for testing, meaning the chance that these markers will assign a DNA relationship incorrectly is as low as one in several billion.
Many companies have hidden costs. They will lure you in with the promise of a cheap test, then charge you extra for shipping, for rapid results, or even to provide a copy of the results report. Nimble Diagnostics guarantees that you will pay NO MORE than the advertised price - shipping of the test kit, results, and testing is all included.

How is the sample taken?

The sample is taken simply by gently rubbing a soft swab on the inside of the cheek. No blood or other sample collection is required so the testing is painless and non-invasive. All instructions are provided in our free test kits.

How is the test performed?

We test a number of genetic locations (known as 'loci') for each test in accordance with international relationship DNA testing standards (including ISO 17025 guidelines) - which provides unsurpassed confidence in the test result. We utilise various population genetics statistics to calculate test results to provide a probability of the tested individuals being biologically related.

Why is information regarding the parent(s) ethnicity required?

The frequency of a given allele for each of the loci we test generally changes depending on the ethnicity of the parents - i.e. genetic differences between people of Caucasian, African, Hispanic, or Asian backgrounds for example means we need to calculate the results slightly differently to take into account their different backgrounds and to provide the most accurate result.

Do I have to provide information on the parents ethnicity?

It is entirely up to you whether you want to/are able to provide this information, however it will increase the accuracy of the DNA test slightly. If this data is not provided, however, we will simply use the most conservative possible value for each loci, which will very rarely make the result any less accurate or definitive.

How are the results presented?

Results will simply be reported to you as a probability that the individuals being tested are biologically related, and the conclusions of the test are stated plainly in the report. Either the report can be emailed to a specific email address, posted, or both. This can be selected upon ordering.

For siblingship and grandparentage tests, is a sample from a parent required?

This is not required, and many tests are done without these samples. However, testing these samples will provide an more definitive result, so is strongly recommended. Testing these samples is included in the test price.

Is there a minimum age requirement for individuals being tested?

There is no minimum age requirements. The samples are collected painlessly by rubbing a soft swab in the inside of the cheek so it is painless, non-invasive, and simple to collect, even from a young child.

What if the individuals being tested live in different cities?

This is no problem - we can send out multiple test kits at no extra charge, and will simply wait until we have received all samples from the different locations and will then process the samples together.

Can the test be performed on someone who is unavailable?

If for any reason a swab cannot be collected for any of the individuals being tested, genetic material can often also be collected from other sources, including saliva (e.g. on chewed gum or cigarette butts), blood stains (e.g. on a razor), hair (e.g. from a hairbrush), or other forensic samples. This may be specified in our online order form.

Can Nimble Diagnostics provide a court-admissible DNA relationship test?

Court-admissible DNA relationship tests require special collection and processing and thus are generally more expensive than "peace-of-mind", non-court-admissible DNA tests (it is important to note, however, our "peace-of-mind" tests provide an accuracy equal to or greater than all internationally accepted court-admissible DNA tests). If a court-admissible test is required, please contact us and we can make arrangements for one depending on your country of residence.

Can the testing be billed to my credit card discreetly?

We appreciate the need for privacy for our clients and will bill your credit card discreetly.

Does Nimble Diagnostics accept international orders?

Yes! We accept orders from anywhere in the world, and the sample can be sent to one of several Nimble Diagnostics international locations. We also can accept payment in almost any currency if requested.

How is shipping arranged?

We will ship a test kit out to you anywhere in the world free of charge within 24 hours of receiving an order. Once the samples have been collected, the kit should be mailed back to us. If there are any other special requests regarding shipping, please contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate them.

Tell me about Nimble Diagnostics.

Information about our company can be found here.

Does Nimble Diagnostics offer other genetic testing services?

We also offer a full range of DNA paternity tests, ancestry DNA tests, and prenatal gender DNA tests. We are also currently negotiating to perform a number of other diagnostic tests with our usual high standards. These will be available from our website soon. If you have any questions regarding any genetic tests please contact us.

How can I contact Nimble Diagnostics?

Our contact information can be found here.