How to Choose Your DNA Testing Lab

Currently, there is no mandatory oversight of DNA parentage testing facilities, and literally anyone, whether or not qualified, can offer DNA testing services. In this environment, YOU need to know how to select a reliable DNA testing laboratory. The DNA testing laboratory that will conduct your DNA testing should meet several criteria described below.

The facility that markets DNA paternity testing services is not always the same facility that will perform your DNA testing. Many facilities market DNA paternity testing services and collect samples, but do not perform DNA testing. Such facilities usually contract out DNA testing services to a DNA testing laboratories that provide such testing to them at the “best” fees. Your samples may be sent out to different laboratories, depending on who currently provides the best contract price to the marketing facility. Always know the name, the location, and the telephone number to the DNA testing laboratory that will actually perform your DNA test. Then, make sure that your DNA testing laboratory fulfills all the laboratory qualification criteria described below.

Why is laboratory accreditation important? National laboratory accreditation programs ensure that participating DNA testing laboratories undergo in-depth inspections to demonstrate that their operations, management, procedures, instruments, physical plant, and qualifications of laboratory staff meet the established quality standards. Participating DNA laboratories also undergo blind proficiency testing issued by these national organizations as part of quality assurance program. Thus, a seal of accreditation informs you that the DNA testing facility, at minimum, will meet the established, national testing standards when conducting your DNA test. The production of reliable and reproducible DNA test results requires that DNA testing procedures used by the testing laboratory conform to the nationally established standards.

The American Association of Blood Banks [AABB] is the primary organization that has established national procedures and standards for DNA parentage testing. Just go to www.aabb.org and click on: Accreditation; then, click on Parentage Testing Accreditation Program, and click on: AABB Accredited Parentage Testing Laboratories. Then, review the complete list of AABB Accredited Parentage Testing Laboratories. See if the DNA testing laboratory you plan to utilize for your DNA testing is on this list of accredited facilities. Alternatively, you may contact the AABB at 8101 Glenbrook Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-2749, or call the AABB at 301-215-6584 to determine if the DNA laboratory you plan to use for your DNA testing has been inspected and accredited by the AABB.

If you reside in the State of New York, the DNA testing laboratory must be accredited by the New York State Department of Health [NYSDOH]. You can determine if the DNA testing laboratory has accreditation by the NYSDOH by going to: www.wadsworth.org and click on: Quality Certification; then click on: Clinical laboratory Evaluation Program, and Approved Laboratories. Then, click on: Parentage/Identity Testing – DNA Testing. Then, review the complete list of NYSDOH Accredited Parentage Testing Laboratories and see if the DNA testing facility you plan to utilize for your DNA testing is located on the list of their accredited facilities.

Important issues to consider when selecting a DNA testing laboratory are the experience and qualifications of the laboratory director, doctoral staff and the technologists performing the testing. A laboratory that has been performing DNA parentage testing for many years is more likely to have experienced staff and well validated testing procedures. Such laboratory is also more likely to stay in business than a laboratory just starting to perform DNA testing services. Ask the laboratory: “How many DNA paternity tests did the laboratory perform on site during the past 10 years?”, “What are the qualifications of the director and staff?”, “How much experience do they have in providing expert witness testimonies in Courts?” Choose a laboratory with an impeccable reputation and a long, error-free service record. Additionally, find out if and when the DNA testing laboratory's technical staff is available to answer your questions about the test and if there is a charge for this service.

People often have such faith in DNA testing; they believe these tests to be infallible. However, the quality of DNA test results depends on the competence of the staff providing these services and on the extent of testing that they perform. A DNA paternity test works by identifying a number of genetic sites that are identical in both the child and the alleged father. In general, the more genetic sites that are tested, the more rare is this shared total genetic pattern in comparison to all men within the population. If a DNA testing laboratory tests a small number of genetic sites in a DNA paternity test, the tested child and man can match individuals within the population on every tested genetic site. This is especially true if their tested genetic sites are commonly shared by many individuals within the population. Such DNA testing may falsely substantiate fatherhood. Therefore, the accuracy of DNA testing increases when a large number of genetic sites are tested.

Therefore, to produce most conclusive DNA results, request that the laboratory not stop testing until they produce ONE of the following results: (1) they prove that the tested man IS NOT the biological father of the child, or (2) they certify greater than 99.99% probability that the tested man IS the biological father of the child. Request that laboratory guarantee that you will receive only one of these DNA results. Also, remember that there is a significant difference in the quality of DNA results when the reported probability of paternity is just 99%, and when it is greater than 99.99%.

There is a wide variation in the manner that accredited DNA testing laboratories handle areas such as protection of privacy, confidentiality, and informed consent. Request to see a copy of the testing facility's policy and procedures that describe how information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information.

The DNA testing laboratory should have stringent and well-enforced standards concerning DNA specimen collections. All DNA family relationship testing should only be conducted with properly executed consent for DNA testing. Request to see the testing facility's consent form for DNA testing.

Find out how long it usually takes the DNA testing laboratory to produce DNA results. It is important to remember that DNA family relationship testing involves sophisticated genetic analyses. Occasionally, genetic mutations are encountered in DNA paternity cases and certain cases of complicated DNA family reconstructions require expert consultations and additional, specialized testing. An efficient, experienced DNA testing laboratory offers quick turn around time results on most DNA tests they perform, and also is willing to devote their expertise, time and additional resources to the more complicated cases to achieve the most conclusive results.

Keep in mind that the price quoted to you by the laboratory for the DNA test is only one factor of the total cost for your test. The other factors affecting the cost of your test include: the quality and the accuracy of your DNA test results, the type of service you receive, and the ease of admissibility of your results with Courts (e.g., for legal establishment of paternity), with insurance companies (e.g., to place a child on medical insurance benefits), and with government agencies (i.e, for Social Security benefits).

When it comes to DNA family relationship testing, you want to make the right choice. It is an important decision, because the results given to you by the DNA laboratory will have a profound and lasting impact on you and on the people you cherish…