Donor Conceived
Services

In February 2006, the Cayman Biomedical Research Institute (CABRI) initiated a database of persons conceived by artificial insemination (AI) and men who had acted as donors for AI. At the time, Short Tandem Repeat (STR) analysis was the preferred method used to identify paternity and sibling-ship. During the subsequent 13 years, whole genome sequencing (as practiced by Ancestry, 23andMe, and Family Tree DNA) has overtaken the field of genetic analysis and is now the dominant platform for relationship genealogy.

We will no longer be providing STR genetic analysis services and are transitioning all of our members to our partner, Family Tree DNA. In the future, notification about matches to your DNA will come directly from Family Tree DNA to the email address that CABRI has in our file for you. 

For female donor-conceived clients who have only CABRI’s X-STR genetic data, there is no large sequencing provider that can duplicate your data. High throughput, next-gen sequencing machines sequence the highly repetitive STR regions very poorly, and none report STR data from X chromosomes. For you, CABRI will pay to have your autosomal DNA re-sequenced through Family Tree DNA so that your relatives can easily be matched to you based on all of your other (autosomal) DNA. To request this test, please contact Audra Skaryd at admin@cabrimed.org.

Because the CABRI Board has made the decision to discontinue our STR sequencing service, we would like to know what other services, if any, you feel would be needed and useful in the greater donor/donor-conceived community. We would also like to know about your experience with CABRI and whether you were satisfied with our responsiveness to the needs you had when you first contacted us. Please complete the online survey below. We will follow up with a written survey by mail with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you are unable to take the survey online. A $25 Amazon gift card will be sent to every CABRI member who fully completes the survey (please allow 6-8 weeks for processing).

Please verify your email and mailing address on the survey so that we can be certain that our contact information for you is current. We will always be available if you have questions about a match, your personal sequence and historical STR information, or any other issue, so please do not hesitate to contact us.

Questions? Please contact us at admin@cabrimed.org. Thank you.

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