Proficiency testing programs for DNA typing laboratories offered by the College of American Pathologists

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has several proficiency testing programs targeted to laboratories that perform DNA typing of STR loci. Two well-known programs for parentage testing and forensic labs have been available since the early 1990s and are used by labs worldwide. New proficiency surveys introduced by CAP within the last 2 years may also be of interest to DNA typing labs interested in STR typing for new sources of revenue. Recently added surveys include one for labs monitoring engraftment in bone marrow transplant patients, a second survey for labs that perform phenotyping of convicted offenders for databasing programs, and a survey for labs that perform mitochondrial DNA sequencing. Presented here are brief introductions to the proficiency surveys offered by CAP that are of potential interest to DNA typing labs. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.