The funeral home is your last chance to preserve DNA
The death of a loved one has traditionally meant the loss of family history. Memories fade and so does important information such as genealogical heritage and medical history. Questions of “where do we come from” and “what diseases did we inherit in our genes” will be asked many generations from now. DNA provides important and relevant information of a family’s genealogical and medical history.
DNA Memorial provides a family the last opportunity to collect the treasure of their deceased loved ones DNA; information for generations to come. Through funeral homes we collect your loved one’s DNA and our proprietary process that allows for room temperature storage indefinitely. DNA will begin to degrade as soon as a person dies and must be specially treated or it will basically decompose and become useless.
Post Mortem DNA is very challenging and takes specialized expertise to process and test. Most major ancestry testing companies can not process post mortem DNA making this not an option for deceased persons. DNA Memorial can clean and process post mortem DNA so it can be tested for ancestry purposes.
DNA Memorial is apart of the the Global Genetic Health Network. This allows our clients access to the world’s top labs for ancestry, medical and legal DNA testing. It also allows our clients access to research institutions and support organizations such as disease foundations.
Why Preserve DNA ?
Ancestry
Post Mortem DNA can not be tested by most major ancestry companies. DNA Memorial can process and treat the Post Mortem DNA to be run on the major ancestry platforms. Living DNA and Family Tree DNA both accept DNA treated by DNA Memorial.
Genetic Testing
Post Mortem DNA testing is very complicated and can only be performed by specialized laboratories. DNA Memorial has the ability to facilitate any range of accredited DNA testing needed on the deceased even in cases of extreme decomposition.
Generational DNA Library
Saving the DNA of family members over generations
allows doctors to not only predict if a person will get a disease,
but also approximately when, which is an incredibly
powerful tool for saving lives.
Keepsakes
A unique celebration of life. All Keepsakes are handcrafted with the DNA incorporated right into the product and come with the DNA storage vial for testing.
New Technology
For the first time and with the power of DNA Memorial’s patented room temperature storage method, DNA can now be stored at home or incorporated into products.
Personalized Medicine
Doctors can use DNA testing to assess the probability of risk of certain genetic diseases, Many cancers can now be identified as a high risk, ensuring regular checkups, which will lead to possibly identifying the cancer in its early stages.
WE BELIEVE THAT FAMILIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED INFORMATION TO MAKE EDUCATED FUNERAL DECISIONS.
Making funeral arrangements for a deceased loved one is emotional and decisions are even more difficult when coupled with grief. Death is final; and some of the decisions made during funeral arrangements have long term impact. If your loved one has not collected their own DNA sample prior to death, the decision importance factor is elevated prior to final disposition. Many people are choosing cremation for final disposition for many reasons from cost to convenience. Understanding that the cremation process is irreversible and all genealogical and medical DNA are destroyed by the cremation process is extremely important facts of information. Cremated remains contain no DNA. Equally, once a person is buried, disinterment is very expensive costing thousands of dollars.