For such a powerful product, the TruDiagnostic™ Personal Epigenetic Test process is fairly simple: order, provide your blood sample, and see your data. But between you putting your sample in the mail and us alerting you that your data is ready, there’s actually quite a bit that goes on at our laboratory. For details about the steps taking place at our lab, continue reading this article below:
How TruDiagnostic’s TruAge™ Works
Once you have received your blood collection kit, you will need to register the collection tube’s barcode.
This is how we will identify that the blood sample in that collection tube belongs to you. Unregistered kits that have been received at the lab will not begin processing until the kit is registered to an account. Be sure to provide your sample following the detailed instructions included in your blood collection kit, then mail your kit back to us in the prepaid packaging you received with your order.
After our laboratory receives your sample, your results will be available in your online account in approximately 2-4 weeks, but please keep in mind that processing times may vary. You can track your sample’s progress on your profile homepage.
How do I buy a TruDiagnostic™ Kit for myself?
You can now order your TruAge™ kit by clicking here!
In our first phase, our mission was to accelerate the science of epigenetics. This means, we worked closely with doctors, nurse practitioners, naturopathic professionals, and other health professionals to further advance our algorithm.
While that is still one of our main priorities, we are now focusing on educating the general public on the importance of biological age.
You have the power to take control of your health right now, so what’s stopping you? Getting access to discovering the healthier you is now a reality. Click Here to order your TruAge™ kit and be one step closer to mastering your health.
How does TruDiagnostic™ measure my epigenetic changes?
Once our lab receives your sample, DNA is extracted from cells contained in your blood.
The lab then copies the DNA many times—a process called amplification—duplicating the tiny amount extracted from your blood until there is enough to be processed.
In order to be processed, the amplified DNA is ‘cut’ into smaller pieces, which are then applied to our custom epigenetic chip, a small profiling microarray with extensive coverage of CpG islands, genes, and enhancers. We use advanced technology to enable content selection independent of bias-associated limitations often associated with methylated DNA capture methods.
Why is a blood sample better than saliva?
The best way for TruDiagostic™ to obtain sufficient quantities of DNA for our analysis is through a blood sample.
Blood samples contain significantly higher global DNA methylation levels than saliva samples, thus using DNA from a blood sample allows for higher quality, more accurate data.
DNA sourced from the blood have been adequately studied and examined in all age-related conditions linked to epigenetic age acceleration in specific tissues.
The Visual Exam
Samples arrive at our lab every day. The first thing technicians do with each new sample is to scan the barcode on it, because, for privacy reasons, that’s the only identifying information the laboratory has.
As soon as a sample has been scanned, it undergoes its first test — a visual inspection to make sure it contains fluid up to the “fill line” on the side of the tube. Occasionally a sample will not pass this step, either because it leaked in transit. If a sample tube doesn’t contain enough liquid we immediately contact the customer and ship a replacement kit so he or she can provide a blood sample again.
DNA Extraction
If a sample passes the visual inspection, it is time for DNA extraction. The process our laboratory uses to isolate and purify the DNA in your blood is simply an automated version of the same one you can do at home. Once the DNA is extracted from the sample, the concentration is measured to make sure there is enough for the actual analysis process on the chip.
If the first attempt at DNA extraction does not yield satisfactory results, a second attempt is made with some blood that was set aside before the process was started. If this second try fails, we contact the customer and send a free replacement kit so he or she can provide a blood sample again. The hope is that this second sample will be DNA-rich and ready to go!
The most common cause of low DNA is that the preservative solution is not fully released into the tube. If a customer is sent a replacement kit, and two tries on the new blood sample still do not yield enough DNA, then, unfortunately, the customer probably won’t be able to use our service and a refund for the kit fee minus shipping and handling is provided. Luckily, this is a very rare occurrence.
Evaluating your Biological Age
Samples that yield sufficient quantities of DNA are processed using our custom genome-wide analysis chip. This process is performed in batches of 96 samples. We monitor the process to make sure it is going as expected. If a particular sample fails to give information for at least 98.5% of the markers we test for, we go back to the blood sample that was set aside in the extraction step and try again. If a second attempt at measuring methylation fails, we ship a free replacement kit to the customer so he or she can send their sample again.
Data Return
Once a sample has been successfully analyzed, the laboratory sends the resulting data to TruDiagnostic™ along with the barcode that came with the sample. This allows us to return the information to the proper account and begin interpreting your data.
Shortly after, you will receive an email notification letting you know to log in to your profile and view your biological age report.
