Accreditations
- CAP: 6747901 (Clinical Molecular Diagnostics and Human Identity Testing)
- CLIA: 26D2056029 (Clinical Molecular Diagnostics)
- NY DOH: 8301 (Clinical Molecular Diagnostics and Human Identity Testing)
- AABB: (Relationship Testing)
- ANAB formerly ASCLD/LAB: ALI-250-T (Human Identity Testing)
- ISO 17025: ALI-250-T (International Relationship/Forensic Testing)
Clinical Licenses
- All 50 states, including:
- CA: COS 00800432
- NY: 8301
- FL: 800026951
- PA: 034050
- MD: 2153
Paternity Testing
In forty-nine states there is no law that requires a paternity laboratory to be accredited. Accreditation is the only assurance that an individual has that the paternity test they will receive is legitimate and is performed in a manner likely to result in a reliable conclusion.
There are just a few accreditations that are significant to a DNA laboratory. By far the most important one, for testing performed in the United States, is accreditation by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). Some laboratories will try to show accreditations that have nothing to do with paternity testing, in an effort to impress potential clients with credentials that are not relevant to paternity testing. PTC Laboratories has the following accreditations, and there are no other accreditations that would indicate any higher level of DNA paternity testing expertise, or value to the client.
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)— PTC Laboratories is accredited by the AABB. The AABB makes on-site inspections of our laboratory every other year. They check our testing protocols and equipment, and also check all documentation in a number of individual paternity tests. They make certain that every accredited laboratory is following accepted procedures, and is performing at least the minimum required level of testing.
ANAB—ISO 17025— PTC Laboratories possesses the ISO 17025 international accreditation for paternity and forensic testing. This is significant for paternity testing for individuals residing outside of the United States. The ANAB company performs on-site inspections at our laboratory every other year.
New York State Department of Health— PTC Laboratories is accredited for paternity testing by the New York State Department of Health. That agency performs an on-site inspection at our laboratory every other year. This accreditation is required by the State of New York in order for a laboratory to perform testing on New York residents. New York is the only state that requires separate accreditation and they basically duplicate the AABB accreditation.
Proficiency Testing— PTC Laboratories and all accredited laboratories receive DNA samples numerous times each year from accrediting agencies for testing. PTC must process these samples, and send our results back to the agencies that issue them. These proficiency tests are one way that the accrediting agencies make certain that DNA testing centers and DNA paternity laboratories continue to follow accepted scientific procedure. PTC receives such samples from a number of agencies including the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Bode Cellmark Forensics.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Export Achievement Certificate— While this is not an accreditation, we include it here as the best place to show this independent recognition of PTC Laboratories’ testing activity world-wide.
Links to all of our accrediting agencies can be found on the left hand side of every page.