Though it’s the most ubiquitous reaction in any just about any modern biochemistry lab, the polymerase chain reaction is still kind of a pain. The machines replicate small samples of DNA so they’re larger and easier to analyze, but they are notorious for dropping samples into hot water, or scalding poor researchers as they reach inside. This isn’t just a problem for beleaguered graduate students though; healthcare, and even law enforcement, rarely accommodate the same patience as pure research. From Zaire to Orange County, the challenges of practical work with DNA has often undercut the technology’s great potential. But what if we could get the whole process, from a cheek swab to a usable sample, into one small, easy-to-use unit? You’d have a potential revolution in healthcare, that’s what.

As a result of this (and the fact that any such technology would amplify investors’ bank balances just as quickly as their DNA), many companies have been competing to be the first to create this so-called “lab on a chip.” There’s debate about who did it first, where to draw the finish line, but perhaps the most logical place is this: who was the first to put it into a large number of people’s hands? Now, Lockheed Martin has leveraged their impressive manufacturing capabilities to make sure that the winning biotech company is Microlab Horizon, with the IntrepID S2A-90.

The “90” at the end of the name represents one of the technology’s most ballyhooed features: it can take a sample from collection to workable sample, ready for use in sequencers, in just 90 minutes. This is a huge improvement over prior solutions, even for professional DNA scientists. The process treats a small sample cartridge full of swabs and extracts the DNA using “proprietary enzymes.” This is then processed and amplified to a useful level. It sounds simple enough, but it’s the culmination of decades of intense research.

The product is in limited release right now, but Lockheed is reportedly ramping up production for larger scale rollout. No word yet on price, but the technology will also receive a release to law enforcement under the Morpho brand name.

As the possible policing applications imply, this technology is about more than just diagnostics. That’s a huge part of it, and the ability to quickly and cheaply prepare DNA for testing could revolutionize public health efforts in Africa and elsewhere. Still, imagine this technology could quickly prepare a suspect’s DNA for sequencing right as they’re booked, allowing quick disqualification from further scrutiny if the perpetrator’s DNA is known. Think about the implications for conviction rates — and for civil rights. Society has been wringing its hands over the possible impacts of wide-spread DNA technology for some time now, but the window for speculation is closing.

With real, mass-produced technologies like these, the impacts will start coming fast and furious. The ACLU better have a few DNA experts on hand, because I guarantee they’re going to be needing them. Taken a few tech-generations down the road, perhaps 20 years, this could put a paternity test on store shelves next to contraception. It could let every hypochondriac know the full extent of their potential for disease. A life insurance agency could take a sample at the beginning of an interview, and before the interview was over know whether the applicant had any of a litany of unacceptable biological predispositions.

This is the sort of technology that could be in every birthing room in country, ready to help type newborns and provide sequence data available to their doctors for the rest of their lives. And the solutions will only get faster, cheaper, and more accessible from here.

[NOTE: This article has been edited to clearly distinguish the IntrepID S2A-90 from sequencing technology]

Now read: The quest for the $1,000 genome