A start-up company is trying to add a little more science into the algorithms of online dating.
Research in the past has suggested that genes may play a role in how "chemically" well-matched people are for a relationship, reports CBS MoneyWatch.
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA), where genes encode for proteins on the surface of cells go to regulate the immune system in humans, could be the key to creating love matches.
The less two people's HLAs are, the more compatible they are supposed to be - or at least that's the premise that start-up company SingldOut is following.
"We're trying to bridge the gap between the digital and biological worlds of love," Jana Bayad, CEO of San Diego start-up SingldOut, said in an interview with CBS MoneyWatch.
The dating service works by sending a user a DNA test kit in the mail. The user swabs his or her mouth with the kit, sends it back, and the company compares the DNA sample to that of other users.
The DNA testing appears to have been correct when company executive Elle France tried it with her romantic partner.
"We were compatible," France told CBS MoneyWatch. "There is typically a lust type of thing when people first meet each other, and they mistake it for long-term chemistry. Typically, a lot of people make bad choices early on. They confuse chemistry for attraction. A lot of people try to deny or justify or make themselves believe that they have something. Their relationships go on longer than they should have."
