UAE: Hospital announces new DNA test to trace your ancestry

Ancestry testing can go back from five to 100 generations and even more

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A hospital in the UAE is now offering a test that will help determine a person’s ancestry. RAK Hospital said it is using the “latest NGS (next generation sequencing) technology” for ancestry testing. It provides an in-depth analysis of a person’s ancestors by locating them not only by country or continent, but within a specific geographical location.

Ancestry testing can go back from five to 100 generations and even more. “You can discover where your DNA is from, the migration paths of your ancestors with a simple saliva collection. The results will give you an unprecedented view of your lineage. Connecting you to your history, it will help you find people and places deep in your past where no records can take,” the hospital said in a Press statement.

According to the hospital’s website, the test costs Dh1,100.

The hospital’s press release featured a European woman who recently took the test. After knowing her ancestral lineage, she can now “totally relate to her habits, for instance, her liking for Mediterranean food, the Arabic culture calling that she could never understand before”.

The website stated that the ancestry test is not intended for clinical or diagnostic use. The raw data of any of these tests may not reveal any health-related information.

Dr Raza Siddiqui, executive director at RAK Hospital, said: “We humans have always remained curious to find out about our lineage and it’s indeed a fundamental human desire to want to know this. Ancestry testing provides insight into where your ancestors might have lived, how they migrated from Africa to populate the earth tens and even thousands of years ago. We can chart a comprehensive map of the early stages of human history by carefully comparing the DNA of the world population.

“RAK Hospital can help you trace your ancestral migration routes and discover your ethnic origins through the novel genomic ancestry program by NGS. This test will reveal genetic aspects of your deep ancestry. You will be able to learn which different geographic regions around the world your ancestors migrated through.”

How the test is conducted

Dr Hafiz Ahmad, head of Molecular Division at RAK Hospital, detailed the process:

Pay online and the sample collection kit is couriered to you
Collect your saliva sample and book your sample collection service which is available 24x7 and throughout the UAE.
Avoid eating or drinking anything 30 minutes prior to sample collection to avoid any discrepancy.
It may take up to four weeks for your results, which could be sent via email or downloaded through RAK Hospital mobile app.

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