What is genotyping?

Genotyping is one of the most powerful tools in genetics. It allows scientists to understand your genes and the types of proteins that they code for. It is the basis for many genetic testing companies, including MatchMyMeds™. Unlike full genome sequencing, genotyping involves sequencing only small portions of DNA, called SNPs. Sequencing is the process of determining the exact order of bases in a portion of DNA. Variations in SNPs causes changes in the structure and function of metabolic enzymes found in the liver that process and break down medications. Even the smallest variants can be found with genotyping, making this a valuable technology for genetic testing.

Genotyping vs Sequencing

Genotyping is more commonly used than sequencing, mainly because the latter is much more expensive and time consuming. Important gene variants are already known, so genotyping is a great technique that can be used to target specific SNPs. Sequencing a large portion of DNA would result in much unnecessary data and extra work for those analyzing the lab results.

Living in the future

Invention of new genotyping technology in the past 5 years allowed this process to become simpler, cheaper, and faster. There are a few popular techniques that are used today, such as SNP microarrays. This allows for easy and instantaneous observation of what SNPs are present in an individual’s DNA.