Our company, Mitotyping Technologies, is exclusively devoted to the forensic applications of mitochondrial DNA analysis. We are one of the oldest and most experienced companies providing forensic mtDNA testing, having been in business since late 1998. We have worked on cases in over 45 states and several foreign countries, and in both state and federal jurisdictions. We are proud to serve both prosecution and defense teams, law enforcement agencies, and private individuals.

Mitotyping Technologies has extensive experience with the difficult samples often encountered in DNA testing, such as single rootless telogen hairs, hair fragments, and aged or burned skeletal material. We also offer an "ancient DNA analysis" for the most difficult samples where the mtDNA is degraded. We process each sample in our care individually from the start to the conclusion of the analysis. This gives us the opportunity to deal with the specific handling requirements of each sample, especially if it is degraded or minimal. We will never batch your sample with others, meaning that the level of protection from cross-contamination is extremely high.

Because mitochondrial DNA analysis is all we do, we are focused on addressing current issues in the field such as contamination, heteroplasmy, and population genetics. We also have extensive experience in the courtroom in both admissibility hearings and trials.

Our Professional Credentials
Our president, Dr. Terry Melton, has over twelve years of experience in the handling of human mtDNA, and over seven years of forensic mtDNA experience. She completed her doctorate at Penn State University under the direction of Professor Mark Stoneking, a world expert in the study of both human mtDNA variation and ancient DNA. In addition to publishing original research in the Journal of Forensic Sciences and the American Journal of Human Genetics, she has been an invited speaker for the Department of Justice and the First International Conference on Forensic Human Identification in the Millennium, and has presented original research at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting, the Promega Symposium on Human Identification, and SWGDAM conferences. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and is currently serving a term on the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Dr. Kimberlyn Nelson, our other forensic examiner, has had a distinguished career in biological research, with extensive teaching experience in human genetics at Penn State University. Her research background includes, among other areas, studies of mitochondrial DNA variation in the mouse, and she is author of numerous publications in the field of population genetics.

Our forensic technicians are highly trained and experienced in forensic testing and have Bachelor's or Master's Degrees in the biological sciences.