What AABB stands for

AABB is the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (originally the American Association of Blood Banks). It's the industry standards body for transfusion medicine, cellular therapies, and relationship DNA testing in the United States.

AABB sets the technical, quality, and procedural standards that laboratories must meet to be considered competent for high-stakes work, including the kind of DNA testing that's used in courts, immigration cases, and child support proceedings.

What AABB accreditation requires

To earn and maintain AABB accreditation for relationship testing, a lab must:

  • Test a minimum number of genetic markers: AABB requires labs to test enough STR markers to achieve a probability of paternity of 99% or higher (for true biological parents) or to definitively exclude (for non-fathers). Most accredited labs test 20+ markers, often 24 or more.
  • Maintain quality control protocols: Every batch of tests must include positive and negative controls. Results must be reviewed by qualified personnel. Equipment must be calibrated and validated regularly.
  • Document chain of custody: For legal tests, the lab must follow strict chain-of-custody protocols from sample receipt through reporting.
  • Maintain qualified staff: Lab directors must hold advanced degrees in molecular biology or genetics. Technicians must be trained and certified.
  • Pass regular audits: AABB audits every 1–2 years, including on-site inspections, document reviews, and proficiency testing.
  • Participate in proficiency testing: Labs must regularly run blind samples against other accredited labs to verify their results match.

Bottom line: AABB accreditation isn't a marketing badge. It's a regularly audited certification that the lab can do the science correctly, consistently, and to a standard that courts and government agencies recognize.

Why it matters for your test

Three reasons:

1. Court admissibility

U.S. courts and government agencies (DCSS, USCIS, Social Security, etc.) typically require AABB-accredited results. A test from a non-accredited lab may be perfectly accurate, but if you ever need to use it for anything official, it won't be accepted.

2. Real accuracy, not advertised accuracy

Any lab can claim "99.99% accurate." AABB accreditation is the verification that they actually achieve those numbers consistently. The proficiency testing program means accredited labs are routinely tested against blind samples, and they have to keep matching the right answer.

3. Standard methodology

AABB labs all use compatible STR marker panels. This means if you ever need to run a second test or compare against another result, the results are interoperable. Home kits and non-accredited labs may use proprietary marker panels that don't compare cleanly.

What AABB accreditation does NOT mean

Some honest clarifications:

  • AABB doesn't accredit individual collectors, only labs. Mobile collection services work with AABB-accredited labs, not the other way around.
  • AABB doesn't certify "AABB Certified Technicians" as a credential. If you see that phrasing, it's usually marketing.
  • AABB accreditation doesn't make every result perfect. Human factors at collection (wrong person, contamination, sample swap) can still affect results. That's what chain of custody is for.

How to verify a lab is actually AABB-accredited

AABB publishes a public directory of accredited labs at aabb.org. If a service claims their lab is AABB-accredited, you can verify by:

  1. Asking which lab they use
  2. Searching the AABB accredited facility directory
  3. Looking for the AABB accreditation certificate number

Reputable services won't hesitate to identify their lab partner. If a service is evasive about their lab, that's a red flag.

Key Takeaway

AABB accreditation is a real, audited standard, not a marketing claim. For any DNA test that might be used officially, requiring AABB-accredited lab processing isn't optional. It's the floor.