The Clinical Testing Laboratories at New Mexico State University will soon begin genetic screenings for colorblindness. The testing is the result of a partnership with Genevolve Vision Diagnostics Inc., an Albuquerque-based company that has created the first-ever genetic test for color vision deficiency. The company is also working to eventually cure colorblindness through gene therapy.

CTL and Genevolve will discuss their partnership and the process for testing and potentially curing colorblindness during a seminar scheduled from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the NMSU Golf Course Clubhouse. Professors, eye doctors and others interested in the procedure are encouraged to attend.

“Our goal is to establish a new world standard for color vision testing and to increase public safety while providing a diagnosis that doctors may discuss with their patients,” said Matt Lemelin, founder and CEO of Genevolve. “With this process, we can now diagnose the type of colorblindness and the extent of deficiency with amazing accuracy and precision.”

Lemelin said colorblindness affects one in seven males and one in 200 females, which translates to approximately 13 million people in the U.S. and 200 million people in the world. It can also seriously impact public safety. According to Lemelin, more than 100 occupations have standards for colorblindness, including pilots, firefighters, police and the military.

Lemelin said drawbacks to the 10 or so current colorblind tests include having to wait until a child is 5 years old before testing. Waiting that long could potentially affect a child’s development, especially if they have special needs. Lemelin said it is also easy for adults to memorize the answers or find other ways to fool colorblind tests, which can have potentially dangerous results.

“The National Travel Safety Bureau has linked a number of accidents to the loss of color vision. The Federal Aviation Administration states it is likely that, in some circumstances, color vision deficiencies may result in unsafe conditions,” he said.

The genetic test for colorblindness was created by Jay Neitz, a researcher from the University of Washington. Through his research in gene replacement therapy, Neitz has also cured red-green colorblindness in nine adult primates.

Genevolve will contract with CTL to process the DNA samples for the colorblindness test. CTL may also be involved in future work for the company once the clinical trials for the gene therapy cure have progressed.

“If this does half of what we expect, this partnership would create 20 to 40 additional, good-paying jobs at the laboratory,” said Stefan Long, CTL’s general manager.

CTL is part of a group of DNA and forensic testing businesses spun off from NMSU in 2005. In addition to CTL, the group also consists of The Forensics Testing Laboratory, The Genetics Testing Laboratories and Fire and Crime Scene Advanced Continuing Education. Each operation is housed at NMSU’s Arrowhead Genesis Center.

Kenneth Brown, left, a network and systems administrator for Genetics Testing Laboratories, shows New Mexico State Senator Mary Kay Papen, seated center, and her daughters the results of her ancestral origins test. (NMSU photo by Justin Bannister)

Discovering where your ancestors originated is now as easy as swabbing your cheek with a Q-tip. An Ancestral Origins DNA kit, capable of mapping anyone’s ancestry, is now available at The Genetics Testing Laboratories (GTL) at New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Business and Research Park.

The lab compares DNA submitted by a customer to DNA databases around the world. GTL then produces a map showing how strongly the client’s DNA matches the profile of an anthropological region. Each map is broken into three major sections: population matches, native region matches and strength indicators. A green marker shows the best match, yellow shows a good match and red means that no match or a weak match was made.

“We’re running at least one of these a day,” said Kenneth Brown, network and systems administrator with the lab. “People like genealogy, figuring out their past. It seems to be pretty popular.”

A recent client was New Mexico State Senator Mary Kay Papen. She was adopted and told her mother died while giving birth. She never knew for sure from where her family had come and brought her children and grandchildren to hear her test results – a very strong match to southern Europe.

“I’m very happy I did it,” Papen said. “Growing up, I was always curious. This is great understanding where you came from. It’s part of who you are.”

Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and vice president for economic development, had his DNA run through the database as well and received his results shortly after Papen. His strongest matches were in northern Europe, which correlates with family stories of British and German ancestors.

GTL is part of a group of DNA and forensic testing businesses spun off from NMSU in 2005 and still partially owned by the university. GTL’s sister company, the Forensics Testing Laboratory, also uses the test for law enforcement purposes. By running the DNA through their database, they can easily narrow down a field of suspects, eliminating those of races not matching a profile.

The Ancestral Origins DNA test kit is available at the Web site http://www.gtldna.com/. Results typically take about a week.

New Mexico State University and the City of Las Cruces are seeing the benefits of a forensic laboratory reducing DNA test time to just weeks instead of a year or more for evidence results.

The Forensic Testing Laboratory (FTL) at NMSU is one of nine full-service forensic testing labs in the nation and uses specialized DNA testing for evidence. Such advanced testing can help with a rape investigation up to 18 hours after an attack, an improvement that can cut evidence processing time from a state crime lab.

“We can basically take DNA from a cold case, and in about an hour we can have a result telling us the ethnic profile,” said FTL General Manager Stefan A. Long. “Identifying people through DNA would take us about a week or two.”

Forensic science has also made its way into criminal justice studies at NMSU.

“We are using DNA evidence more now that we know more about it,” said criminal justice major Ashley Butler. “This is a great opportunity for law enforcement.”

FTL is part of a group of DNA and forensic testing businesses spun off from NMSU in 2005 and still partially owned by the university. In addition to FTL, the group consists of the Genetics Testing Laboratories, the Clinical Testing Laboratories and Fire and Crime Scene Advanced Continuing Education. Each operation is housed at the NMSU Arrowhead Genesis Center.

“Right now, because of what we are able to do in this lab, and the speed at which we are able to do it, people don’t think we are real,” FTL Vice President Jack Ellis said. “We have a lot of very qualified people who have stuck their neck out and taken us to the next level.”

FTL is fully accredited to handle criminal evidence and has already helped the Las Cruces Police Department and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office with cases.

Butler interns with the Crime Scene Investigation unit and said the use of forensic testing is a growing field in larger areas.

“Forensic testing is always backed up and takes great amounts of time,” Butler said. “Labs are essential in the field.”

Long said using DNA evidence to profile the ethnicity of a criminal allows investigators to set aside large groups of possible suspects, saving time and resources.

“People want closure,” Long said. “People don’t want to wait for a year to have their loved ones identified or find out what happened to them.”