New product allows DNA markings of valuables

After several years of development, a Canadian company is launching a product that uses a consumer’s DNA to mark valuable assets, a tool it says insurers can use to track items after loss or theft.

Alastair Russell, CEO of Identa-DNA Corp. began developing the product after several years of selling products from SmartWater, a United Kingdom-based asset-marking technology company, in Canada.

Some of that product’s limitations prompted Russell and his business partner, forensic chemistry specialist Marc Gaudreau (who has since moved on from the company), to develop the recently launched Identa-DNA product. The Mississauga, Ont.-based company plans to distribute it through insurance providers to clients interested in marking valuable assets and documents.

To mark an asset, such as a piece of jewelry, a will or a painting, a policyholder would use a kit from Identa-DNA, received from their insurance company or broker. The client would use the kit’s sterilized swab (like a Q-tip) on the inside of their cheek to get their DNA sample. They would then insert the swab into the Identa-DNA marker, or “quill,” puncturing a capsule that contains a chemical solution, and use that to mark an asset.

The company has also designed a variety of solutions applicable to different surfaces (such as soft paper or hard metal surfaces), Russell explained. The client (an insurer) could choose what specification works best for them. The product is also available as “overt,” where the marking would be seen under a UV light, or “covert,” where the marking would be visually undetectable.

The solution contained in the product acts as a way to make the DNA traceable for a longer period of time, since DNA is often destroyed in the open air quickly.