A WESTBROOK laboratory which offers prenatal paternity testing is now exporting to 16 countries across six continents.

AlphaBiolabs has seen overseas sales surge following the launch the test and the expansion has created three new jobs with four more in the pipeline.

The company has recruited business partners in North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia as well as Europe over the past six months.

Its success follows the in-house launch of non-invasive prenatal paternity testing last spring, when the company became the first lab in Europe to offer the service.

The test determines paternity from as little as five weeks after conception.

The DNA of the adults is obtained via a blood sample from the mother and a mouth swab sample from the man.

The unborn baby’s DNA is obtained from the mother’s bloodstream.

The samples are analysed using new-generation sequencing technology which amplifies the visibility of DNA segments for analysis.

This enables scientists at AlphaBiolabs to determine whether the unborn baby shares the man’s DNA.

If man is the child’s biological father, they will share identical sections of DNA at each marker.When the tested man is not the biological father, there will differences between his DNA and that of the unborn baby.

AlphaBiolabs invested £400,000 in additional equipment to conduct the tests in-house.

Managing director David Thomas, said: “We are one of only a few companies worldwide to offer this test and we are happy to be supporting our international partners with a rapid turnaround service.

“Following the launch, a number of our partners have decided to send a range of samples for testing to take advantage of our next-day turnaround times, and we expect the growth of our international network to continue.”

“This expansion, in particular beyond Europe, gives us the confidence that despite wider uncertainty relating to Brexit we will continue to thrive in new markets by pushing on with innovative additions to our range of services in the months and years ahead.”