A primary goal of forensic scientists is the generation of high quality DNA data that can ultimately withstand the scientific rigors for presentation in courts. To achieve this, it is critical for the laboratory to have high quality products and techniques, which have been carefully developed and validated by researchers, commercial entities, and the laboratory, and that continue to meet the needs of the testing laboratory over time. More than 20 standards and best practice recommendations are now available to assist with this goal, having been written by scientists from around the world working with the Biology/DNA Scientific Area Committee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) and the DNA Consensus Body of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Academy Standards Board (ASB) over the past 10 years. The majority of these documents address:

1. performing quality validation studies to assist in the development of quality testing procedures for all stages of the DNA testing processes, including data interpretation and comparison; and 
2. training requirements necessary to perform the testing and data evaluation. 

These standards are all designed to be complimentary to, and not replacements for, existing mandatory standards for accreditation.   

This presentation will provide an introduction to a series of standards that address the design of validation studies, development of protocols based on the studies, and the verification of the functionality of the developed protocol. These include ANSI/ASB Standard 020, Standard for Validation Studies of DNA Mixtures, and Development and Verification of a Laboratory’s Mixture Interpretation Protocol; ANSI/ASB Standard 040, Standard for Forensic DNA Interpretation and Comparison Protocols; and ANSI/ASB Standard 018, Standard for Validation of Probabilistic Genotyping Systems. A special focus on ANSI/ASB Standard 123, Standard for Routine Internal Evaluation of a Laboratory’s DNA Interpretation and Comparison Protocol, designed to assist laboratories in their annual monitoring of quality issues and assessment of their procedures for generating quality interpretations and comparisons of DNA data with attention to consistency among all analysts using the protocols, will follow. 

A listing of other documents available for implementation in forensic DNA testing laboratories, which cover a broad range of additional topics (including serological and DNA testing methods; data interpretation, comparison, and statistical evaluations; elimination databases; contamination prevention, monitoring and mitigation; reporting conclusions; and familial DNA testing), will be also provided.

Standards available free of charge.

Author

• Charlotte Word (Charlotte Word, United States of America)