DNA Testing - Laboratory Accreditation

homeDNAdirect New Zealand offers internationally accredited DNA testing and our laboratories are specalised in DNA profiling and genetic identification testing and equipped with a state of the art laboratory and staffed by a team of scientists highly experienced in their field.

Accredited laboratories have passed a rigorous review and inspection of their testing processes and laboratory to insure that tests are being done accurately and thoroughly. Accredited laboratories also participate in proficiency testing schemes and are inspected frequently. In order for a DNA test to be admissible in court, the DNA test must be performed by an accredited paternity testing laboratory.

Our partner laboratory has been awarded the ISO17025 accreditation which is a rigorous quality assurance system compliant with international ISO quality standards. All processes are subject to regular independent external monitoring ensuring results of the highest standard for our clients. The laboratory is participates in the AABB Parentage Testing Accreditation Program. Through this program, aaccredited laboratories have passed a rigorous review and inspection of their testing processes and laboratory to insure that tests are being done accurately and thoroughly. Accredited laboratories also participate in proficiency tests and are re-inspected bi-annually.

DNA Testing – Accuracy of the tests

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 Probabilities of Paternity of more than 99.999%. In fact, in the case of a DNA 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 section Understanding Your Results, 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

HomeDNAdirect 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 DNA testing, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions section.