Founded on 1 November 1999, Unistel Medical Laboratories (UML) (Pty) Ltd has 42 staff members in its employ. Today UML, co-owned by seven shareholders (Stellenbosch University being one of these), conducts between 10 000 and 15 000 genetic diagnostic tests per month. These tests entail DNA profiling for forensic and paternity testing among people and stud animals as well chromosome and DNA analyses for the diagnosis of single gene defects and chromosome abnormality. UML focuses on micro array technology which enables up to 9 600 genetic abnormalities on one slide. This will enable doctors to process large amounts of data in order to obtain a more accurate diagnosis.
