Parabon NanoLabs

Parabon NanoLabs, Inc. is a vertically integrated DNA technology company headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with a nanotechnology laboratory in Huntington, WV. The company was founded on March 4, 2008, as a subsidiary of Parabon Computation, Inc., by Dr. Steven Armentrout, Dr. Michael Norton, and Christopher Dwyer. The founding was the culmination of discussions that began in 2005 between Dr. Armentrout, a computer scientist with extensive experience in machine learning, and Dr. Norton, a professor and pioneer in DNA-based nanotechnology. Their goal was to overcome computational roadblocks in DNA nanotechnology, leading to the development of the inSēquio™ Design Studio, a software for designing DNA nanostructures.

The company's business is twofold, with operations in both nanopharmaceuticals and forensic DNA analysis. Initially, the focus was on creating oncology therapeutics and synthetic vaccines using DNA nanostructures. Over time, Parabon leveraged its bioinformatics infrastructure for forensic applications, for which it is now most widely known. The company's revenue is generated through product licensing, as well as non-dilutive grants and contracts, primarily from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other government agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Parabon also forms co-development, platform, and academic collaborations to expand its product pipeline.

Parabon's flagship forensic offering is the Snapshot® Advanced DNA Analysis Platform. This service provides law enforcement agencies with a suite of tools to generate leads from DNA evidence when traditional database searches fail. One of its key features is DNA Phenotyping, which predicts physical appearance traits like hair, eye, and skin color, as well as facial morphology from a DNA sample. The service also includes Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), which identifies suspects by finding relatives in public DNA databases and constructing family trees. Since launching its IGG division in 2018, led by renowned genealogist CeCe Moore, Parabon has helped solve hundreds of cold cases, many of which were decades old. The Snapshot platform also performs Kinship Inference, determining the degree of relatedness between DNA samples. For the DoD, Parabon developed Keystone, a software platform for the forensic analysis of DNA evidence, including data from high-throughput sequencing.

In the therapeutic realm, Parabon utilizes its Essemblix™ Molecular Engineering Platform. This platform uses the inSēquio™ CAD software to design and fabricate custom DNA-based nanostructures for applications like precision drug delivery and biosensor development. The company actively seeks partnerships to co-develop novel therapeutics and offers access to its technology for organizations to develop their own compounds.

Keywords: DNA phenotyping, investigative genetic genealogy, forensic science, DNA analysis, nanopharmaceuticals, cold case investigation, law enforcement technology, DNA nanostructures, bioinformatics, kinship analysis, Snapshot DNA Analysis, Steven Armentrout, CeCe Moore, molecular engineering, forensic DNA services, therapeutic development, U.S. Department of Defense contractor, crime fighting technology, human identification, genetic research