By Kate Augusto

Many, if not all, online dating services pair customers based primarily on personality tests. But Northeastern graduate Eric Holzle’s online dating service, ScientificMatch.com, uses another component: DNA. “This is the first dating service anywhere that matches people according to their DNA to achieve chemistry between the matches. So it’s the only service where you can actually find someone you share chemistry with,” said Holzle, who graduated from Northeastern in 1989 and got his MBA from Babson. The site was launched last December. Holzle said the service also uses a personality test and personal preferences to match people. For the chemical component, participants are given an at-home DNA collection kit. The service uses the kit to figure out the person’s major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, which are genes that play a prominent role in the regulation of immune function. Clients with different genes are then paired together. The reason, Holzle said, is because people with different MHC genes are naturally more attracted to each other. This is because, Holzle said, there are evolutionary benefits since parents with two different sets of MHC genes will produce children with more robust immune systems. Holzle said the process also has to do with the controversial pheromones, which are chemicals said to have a direct effect on a person’s sexual habits. Though not conclusively proven to exist in the human world, Holzle said a lot of work has been done on mice that recognize MHC genes in other mice due to a certain odor they produce. The service is based on more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles, Holzle said, but some still remain skeptical of the service. Phyllis Strauss, a biology professor, said none of these studies have been done on humans, nor could they be done ethically. She also said a person’s smell is determined by several factors, including what that person eats, and that pheromones are not necessarily what a person smells like. “Pheromones are a very specific class of molecules that are given off,” Strauss said. “I don’t know if they’re controlled by MHC or not. It’s all very complicated.” One of the limitations of the service is that clients cannot be on birth control, another factor Strauss finds questionable. Holzle said the reason is that evolutionarily, a pregnant woman changes her preference of MHC genes to ones that are similar to hers. Strauss, however, said birth control does not affect gene expression of MHC and only affects a woman’s ovaries. Her other hesitation comes from the fact that the service costs $1,995.95 for a year membership. Strauss said this is a lot to pay to identify six or eight MHC genes, which can most likely be done for a cheaper price if someone wants to get it done themselves. Holzle, however, said part of the cost pays for an extensive background check. “The price is based on the value of the service, not the expenses,” he said. He also said the price may sound expensive when compared to other online dating services, but it’s less expensive than a lot of offline matchmakers. “An offline customer tends to be someone who is very serious about finding a lifelong partner and that’s more of what we cater too,” Holzle said. “We’re offering something that no matchmaker can ever give you, no matter how closely or personally they work with you.” Meredith Harris, chair of the physical therapy department, said she doesn’t think this service would necessarily be any more effective than any other dating service. “This isn’t like matching organs. If you’re trying to match an organ donor that’s very different than matching personality traits,” she said. “How can I tell that my personality traits and beliefs and moral make up is going to be compatible with yours based on your chemistry? I think there are too many behavioral factors that go into it.” Holzle, however, said this won’t necessarily make a lifelong relationship, it’s just a critical part of finding someone who can be a lifelong partner. Holzle, the only employee of ScientificMatch.com, would not disclose the number of clients his company serves. Though he graduated from Northeastern with a mechanical engineering degree. Holzle said the program taught him one valuable lesson. “The first day of engineering, they said it’s the engineer’s role in society to take what the scientist has learned and apply that to what things people want to use or consume,” Holzle said. “I think that’s the most important thing I’ve utilized.”