Maybe you didn’t realize it, but some of the things you’ve watched on CSI have been happening right here in State College.
Mitotyping Technologies, a State College-based company that has operated for 16 years, has been a significant player in forensic DNA analysis for quite some time.
What exactly does that even mean? Basically, the company does DNA testing on evidence found at crime scenes in an attempt to identify a victim or a guilty party in a crime.
“We do a lot of criminal case testing,” founder and laboratory director Terry Melton says. “We’ve done testing for different groups, attorneys, law enforcement officials. We look at things such as the hairs left at the scene and link them to people.”
Not surprisingly, this line of work has Melton and her team spending quite a bit of time testifying in the courtroom.
Over the years, Mitotyping has played a part in a number of significant cases. Two years ago, it’s work proved the innocence of Santae Tribble, a man who had been in prison since 1980 after being convicted of murder.
That case took place in Washington D.C., and while Mitotyping does work on local cases as well, Melton says the company can receive DNA from a variety of places, including Texas, California, Florida and even Russia.
“We’re a small, niche business but we’ve worked on cases from all over the world,” Melton says. “The samples come to us, whether it’s from the clients or the police. That’s when we do the testing and send the reports.”
Although it’s tough to keep your hands clean in a business like this, Melton says things don’t usually get too intense for her and her staff.
As an outside party, the company is usually able to avoid the personal side of any case they are dealing with and instead just focus on the analysis.
“Well you have to think about how removed we are,” Melton says. “We work in between the folds. We’re aware of how difficult the cases are. It can be tough when its involving children or women but we’re not personally involved with them.”
Melton started the company 16 years ago after she graduated from Penn State.
Since then, she has built Mitotyping into one of the most respected DNA analysis companies on the East coast.
According to Penn State molecular biology professor Reena Roy, Melton is as good as anyone in the business.
“Oh , she’s highly respected,” Roy says. “She was the first one to start a company like that here. I remember sending her work back when I worked at [the University] of Nebraska and she’s always done a fantastic job. I have dealt with them for many years and have nothing but the highest respect.”
Making such praise even more noteworthy is the fact that Melton has been running the operation with a staff of just four people.
Though Melton insists that her work is not quite as exciting as it sounds, it is still something that she finds interesting after so many years in the field.
“A typical day is lab work, more lab work, talking to clients and writing research papers,” Melton says. “It does vary though. I’m testifying in (a recent case) so things can be different.”
