ISO 17025 certification
After two years’work, IGNA has been granted the ISO 17025 certification of its Nantes site by Cofrac for nuclear DNA-related services. This deserves some explanation.
By 2013, genetic testing laboratories will have to be ISO 17025 certified to feed European data-bases. “Since this standard is to become compulsory, it was consequently essential that we got certified,” explains IGNA quality manager Laurent Fruchard. This certification, granted on August 1, 2010, is the result of two years’work carried out by a full team of technical and administrative staff and includes in its scope the genetic analysis of nuclear DNA. “The ISO 17025 standard takes up the elements of the ISO 9001 standard, but is also complemented with a full section on the staff’s technical expertise.Applicants are guaranteed a business type organization, validation of the methods used, staff training and proper equipment operation.” From a technical standpoint, a dedicated IGNA team has validated all work methods, i.e. 28 files: “We’ve devised numerous tests, especially repeatability, reproducibility and sturdiness tests. We’ve organized and implemented them to finally analyze and process data statistically. To validate the technical skills of all staff members, we’ve set up a range of training sessions and developed theoretical and practical qualification tests. In the future, we intend to broaden the scope of the ISO 17025 standard to the Group’s other activities and, of course, to the other sites : Strasbourg and Marseille.”
ISO 9001 scope extended
“The granting of this certification has preceded the renewal of the ISO 9001 certification, obtained on November 25 for three years and for an even broader scope of services than previously.” Indeed, in addition to analyses of genetic prints, fingerprints and bloodstain patterns, IGNA has incorporated the retrieval, sorting and analysis of computer data from digital media, making this the market’s most comprehensive service offer analyses which are more and more in demand, especially for child pornography and financial delinquency investigations. IGNA now has the two standards which are essential to the exercise of its trade.