Accredited DNA Testing And Accuracy Levels

Accredited DNA Testing – Laboratory Accreditation

Accreditation is an important aspect to look out for when you are selecting a DNA testing company. Throughout the world, many countries rely on a process called laboratory accreditation as a means of determining technical competence and ability to provide accurate DNA tests.

Laboratory accreditation uses criteria and procedures specifically developed to determine technical competence. Specialist technical assessors conduct a thorough evaluation of all factors in a laboratory that affect the production of test. Laboratory accreditation bodies use this standard specifically to assess factors relevant to a laboratory's ability to produce a precise and accurate DNA test and calibration data, including:

• Technical competence of staff.
• Validity and appropriateness of test methods.
• Traceability of measurements and calibrations to national standards.
• Suitability, calibration and maintenance of test equipment.
• Testing environment.
• Sampling, handling and transportation of test items.
• Quality assurance of test and calibration data.

easyDNA tests are all performed by a fully accredited laboratory. For more information about the laboratory visit the Our Laboratory section.

How accurate is a DNA test?

In DNA paternity testing cases, if the alleged father is the true father, all 15 genetic markers will match those of the child (the 16th genetic marker is used to confirm the sex of the person). This is referred to as “no exclusions”. We guarantee that in such cases (testing the mother, child, and alleged father), our DNA paternity tests will yield a Probability of Paternity of more than 99.999%. In fact, in the case of a paternity test the technical accuracy of the PowerPlex16 Multiplex is guaranteed to be 99.999% for inclusions and 100% for exclusions where both the parents are tested.

In cases where the paternity test includes only one parent and the child, the resulting probability is in most cases greater than 99.99%, although an exact mimum probability of parenthood as per above cannot be determined in advance.

Such extremely high probabilities mean that you can have the peace of mind that the DNA test will confirm whether the alleged father is the true biological father or not.

In our Sample DNA Test Results section we have provided some examples of what our DNA Paternity Test result looks like. In addition, we have also provided comprehensive information on how to interpret the results.

It is possible for the tested father to be the true father and still have one or even two exclusions (mismatched genetic markers) because of mutations in the father’s DNA. In most cases of one exclusion, the Probability of Paternity will still be very high (greater than 99.9%), although this cannot be guaranteed. Cases of two exclusions may be ambiguous and require further testing of additional genetic markers. Cases of three or more exclusions result in the conclusion that the tested father is “excluded” as being the father of the child. This results in a probability of exclusion of 100%.

DNA Testing – Our Guarantee

easyDNA guarantees that all DNA testing is performed by fully accredited partner laboratories using the latest DNA capillary sequencing equipment and technology. The expertise of their scientists combined with the investment in technology enables us to provide you with DNA testing at very competitive prices, fast turnaround times and with the highest levels of accuracy backed by the laboratory's accreditation status.

For more general information about our accredited DNA testing please visit our Frequently Asked Questions section or contact us directly.