GTL’s Accreditations and Partners
ISO 17025
ISO 17025 is the global standard for the technical competence of calibration and testing laboratories. As a laboratory accredited to ISO 17025:2005, GTL has incorporated an overall system for technical and quality management. This results in superior laboratory practices and customer service. We have implemented the ISO 17025 quality system in our laboratory and have been fully accredited since April 2007.
Our Quality Management Statement: Management is committed to being very aggressive in our attitude towards the quality of our testing, in servicing our customers, good professional practices and customer service, primarily since we want to be ranked as the "best" in our business. Our employees remain clearly focused on the Quality System so they may effectively implement the policies and procedures in their casework and quality control functions.
Click here to view our ISO 17025:2005 Certificate of Accreditation.
A2LA
The A2LA is the largest multi-discipline laboratory accreditation system in the United States and is recognized by Accreditation Bodies in the European Union and other International Communities. A2LA accreditation imposes stricter requirements than ISO 17025: 2005 certification alone, particularly focusing on technical competence, traceability of measurements and the overall proficiency of the laboratory.
A2LA is a non-profit, non-governmental, public service, membership society whose mission is to: meet the needs of both laboratories and their users for competent testing; improve the quality of laboratories and the data they produce; and increase acceptance of accredited laboratory data to facilitate trade, based on internationally accepted criteria for competence (ISO / IEC 17025:2005).
GTL is one of the few DNA Laboratories to possess the prestigious A2LA Accreditation.
Click here to view our ISO 17025:2005 Certificate of Accreditation.
ISO 9001
In light of the amendment of ISO 9001:2008, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have issued a revised communiqué declaring that the management system requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 meet the principles of ISO 9001:2008.
ILAC has issued a covering letter dated 8 January 2009, explaining the rationale for the communiqué.
ILAC-MRA
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) first started as a conference in 1977 with the aim of developing international cooperation for facilitating trade by promotion of the acceptance of accredited test and calibration results. In 1996, ILAC became a formal cooperation with a charter to establish a network of mutual recognition agreements among accreditation bodies that would fulfill this aim. The ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (often referred to as the ILAC Arrangement) is the culmination of 22 years of intensive work.
The arrangement came into effect on 31 January 2001. The ILAC Arrangement provides significant technical underpinning to international trade. The key to the Arrangement is the developing global network of accredited testing and calibration laboratories that are assessed and recognized as being competent by ILAC Arrangement signatory accreditation bodies. The signatories have, in turn, been peer-reviewed and shown to meet ILAC's criteria for competence. Now that the ILAC Arrangement is in place, governments can take advantage of it to further develop or enhance trade agreements. The ultimate aim is increased use and acceptance by industry as well as government of the results from accredited laboratories, including results from laboratories in other countries. In this way, the free-trade goal of "a product tested once and accepted everywhere" can be realized.
A list of the ILAC-MRA signatories and the scopes of accreditation we are accredited to due to our ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation through A2LA (testing certificate 2574.01) can be found here.
AABB
We are one of only a handful of DNA testing laboratories actually accredited by the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks). Accredited laboratories have passed a rigorous review and inspection of their testing processes and laboratory to ensure that tests are being done accurately and thoroughly. Accredited laboratories also participate in proficiency tests and are re-inspected bi-annually. Only an accredited DNA test is admissible in a court of law.
Click here to view our AABB Certificate of Accreditation.
NATA
The National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation provides a means of determining, recognising and promoting the competence of facilities to perform specific types of testing and provides formal recognition to competent testing facilities, thus providing a ready means for customers to identify and select reliable testing services. To maintain this recognition, laboratories are re-evaluated periodically by NATA to ensure their continued compliance with requirements and to check that their standard of operation is being maintained. The laboratory is also required to participate in relevant proficiency testing programs between reassessments, as a further demonstration of technical competence. NATA is the most difficult Accreditation for a Parentage Testing Laboratory to attain due to its rigorous quality and security requirements.
Click here to view our NATA Certificate of Accreditation.
FQS-I Accreditation
FQS-I is an ISO/IEC 17011 compliant Accrediting Body, verified by independent external audits of the operation of its accreditation system. ISO/IEC 17011 is recognized internationally as the benchmark for the operation of accreditation programs. Compliance with ISO/IEC 17011 is your assurance of the quality of the accreditation services provided by FQS-I. All ISO accreditation programs provided through FQS- I require that the testing agency comply with ISO/IEC 17025. Wherever possible, FQS-I Forensic Requirements for Accreditation are based on ILAC guidelines. Specific criteria can be tailored to the needs of the individual jurisdiction.
Click here to view a copy of our FQS-I Certificate of Accreditation.
CLIA
The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) bill was passed in 1988 establishing quality standards for all laboratory testing to ensure the accuracy, reliability and timeliness of patient test results regardless of where the test was performed. A laboratory is defined as any facility which performs laboratory testing on specimens derived from humans for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment of disease, or impairment of, or assessment of health. CLIA is user fee funded; therefore, all costs of administering the program must be covered by the regulated facilities. Our CLIA ID number is 32D1086620.
Click here to view our CLIA certificate.
The College of American Pathologists (CAP)
The College of American Pathologists, the principal organization of board-certified pathologists, serves and represents the interest of patients, pathologists and the public by fostering excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine. GTL is a member of CAP and participates in its proficiency testing program.
Click here to view our current CAP Certificate.
Food and Drug Administration
GTL DNA testing kits contain sterile components specifically designed for collection of DNA samples requiring analysis using current DNA profiling techniques. Swabs and lancets are sterilized in accordance with ANSI/AMMI/ISO guidelines and are validated as “sterile” by third party FDA registered facilities. You may have total confidence in knowing that the products used to collect your samples are in compliance with the strictest requirements in the world, ensuring your safety and personal health.
BBBOnLine
Commerce on the Internet is currently an unregulated marketplace, making it difficult for customers to recognise legitimate online offers. Our US offices participate in the BBBOnLine Reliability program. This participation means we adhere to high standards of online business practices. Click here to verify our membership and check our rating.
New Mexico State University
The Genetic Testing Laboratory is the first for-profit technology corporation spun off from New Mexico State University (NMSU) and is a product of NMSU's ongoing research and expertise in the biotechnology and informatics fields. NMSU's top-notch Ph.D. Scientists and investment from the private sector seeded GTL's continuing and promising growth. Since its inception, GTL has maintained a partnership with NMSU and continues to benefit from the expertise of its scientists.
Fire And Crime Scene Advanced Continuing
Education
FACS-ACE is a vital resource that provides Law Enforcement and Fire Investigators with the skills and training they need to perform their duties while exceeding minimal requirements for advanced training.
The Genetic Testing Laboratories, Inc. (GTL) is the founder and principal sponsor of the Fire and Crime Scene Advanced Continuing Education (FACS-ACE) conference held several times per year in Las Cruces, New Mexico. FACS-ACE offers world-class instruction and hands-on training for Law Enforcement, Firefighters and other first responders in the areas of crime and fire scene preservation and evidence handling and collection. This international conference includes training staff members at the top of their respective fields, including:
- Dr. Arthur Eisenberg, former chairman of the FBI DNA Advisory Board
- Dr. Gill King, Deputy Medical Examiner of El Paso County
- Gary Reaves, former prosecutor, corporate counsel for El Paso Municipal Police Officers' Association, past Director, State Bar of Texas
- Dianna Taylor, C.F.E.I. , C.V.F.I., Ignis Forensics, Castle Rock, Colorado
- Dr. Peter Lammers, Director of the Genetic Testing Laboratories, Inc. and Professor of Biochemistry at NMSU
- Dr. John Spalding, Co-Director of the Genetic Testing Laboratories, Inc. and Adjunct Assoc. Professor of Molecular Biology at NMSU.
