DNA Collection

The Science Behind the Art

You collect your cheek cells
The process begins with the collection of your DNA, which you can do effortlessly yourself using a DNA collection kit we'll send out the day you place your order. The DNA collection kit contains a simple, foam-tipped instrument you will use to swab the inside of your mouth. In an instant, the swabbing action picks up millions of your cheek cells. This process is so painless and noninvasive that it can be safely and easily performed on a newborn infant!

You transfer your cheek cells to a storage card
Once you have collected a sample of cheek cells with the foam swab, you transfer them to what is known as an FTA card. The card, which looks like a small piece of filter paper, is coated with a special chemical that lyses (breaks open) the cheek cells, releasing the DNA from within each cell. In the chemical action, everything on the card except the DNA is destroyed. The DNA is now trapped, immobilized and stabilized for storage at room temperature. You simply send the card to our lab using the envelope provided.

Labwork

We receive your DNA sample
When you mail your sample to our secure laboratory, it arrives with a barcode that we scan. Your identity is secure: the tracking number from the barcode is the only reference the lab works with. (No one at the lab will know who you are.) As soon as the barcode has been scanned, an automatic email is sent to you indicating that we have received your DNA sample.

We begin the labwork
Now we get down to work. We extract your DNA from the FTA card and suspend the sample in a liquid buffer. We then put your DNA through a process that searches and isolates unique sequences found in your genome. (Everyone has a different number of these sequences found at different locations.) We put your DNA through a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to replicate your unique sequences so we have enough of them to visualize. The result is several different pieces of DNA of differing sizes and amounts. No two people have the same combination.

We run your DNA through a gel
We now take these resulting strands of DNA and separate them in an agarose gel. With small pores throughout the gel matrix, the gel works like a sieve. Once the DNA is loaded into the gel, we run a current through it in a process called electrophoresis, which causes the DNA to move through the gel medium. Smaller pieces of DNA move faster than larger pieces through the gel pores. The result is a series of DNA strands, separated from one another based on size, with the largest strands on the top of the gel and the smallest bands at the bottom. This puts your unique DNA into a unique order.

We stain and illuminate your DNA
The resulting gel is completely clear. There is nothing to see with the naked eye alone, but your DNA is there waiting to be illuminated. To make your DNA visible, we stain it with an ultraviolet, excitable dye called ethidium bromide. We place the stained gel on an ultraviolet transilluminator where the dye, now excited, begins to fluoresce.

We capture the image
We then move a high-power, biological-grade camera into place above the UV transilluminator, and capture an image of the gel with your DNA shining through!

Design

We render the digital file
We send the resulting digital file to our DNA 11 designers, who work on each image individually, digitally enhancing and customizing your unique DNA Portrait. At this point, we can make a variety of design adjustments to ensure that the hue, tint and saturation of your Portrait reflect the choices you made when you ordered your artwork.

Printing

We print your image
Now we're ready to render your DNA image on canvas. Each artwork is printed on museum-grade, poly-cotton blend canvas, using pigmented inks that resist ultraviolet fading. These superior-quality inks ensure that your artwork will not fade, even if you leave it in a sun-drenched room for a hundred years!

We protect your artwork
We finish the process by preserving each art piece with a protective coating, designed to safeguard it from scratches and scuffs, and make it even more resistant to UV damage.

We frame your masterpiece!
Finally, we frame your DNA Portrait to your specifications. DNA 11 offers complete framing services: we can help you suit any décor, or match most materials and colors.