DNA also can be preserved in hopes of helping family members fight potentially life threatening diseases, learn more about family history, and find relatives or adoptees, according to DNA Memorial manager Brad Marsh.
The process of preserving DNA without the need to cryogenically freeze it, was discovered seven years ago by scientists at Lakehead University in Ontario, and recently we have introduced it to the funeral industry, Marsh said.
“It’s the last chance if the deceased is being cremated because cremation destroys DNA. If it’s after a burial, the body would need to be exhumed. This process is relatively simple, it’s either a cheek swab or a hair sample, we collect those,” said Jackson, Lytle, & Lewis owner Frank Lewis.
The sample is then sent to a lab, where it is purified, attached to a substrate, and then the salt-like substance can be placed in a vial, a pendant for a necklace, a glass orb, and even mixed with the paint used in a portrait of the deceased, according to Marsh.
The DNA banking is a potential revenue generator for funeral homes. Prices start at $300 for a vial to be kept by the family, $600 to have it stored by DNA Memorial, and up to $1,400 for a pendant keepsake.
Reaction is mixed.
“I understand that people want to preserve a little piece of their loved ones, but it raises a whole question of morality, as you start to think about cloning, are people going to try to recreate a person,” said Katie Kuss-Shivle of Springfield.
Joe Lewis of Springfield said he would consider doing it for a loved one.
“It would help the family history. I think it would be an excellent idea,” Lewis said.
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