In what has emerged as a deeply troubling saga of scientific irresponsibility, a DNA laboratory in Toronto, known as Viaguard Accu-Metrics, has been found to have routinely delivered incorrect prenatal paternity test results, misidentifying biological fathers and bringing tumult to the lives of numerous families worldwide. This revelation comes after an exhaustive investigation that uncovered a pattern of erroneous results spanning nearly a decade.
Harvey Tenenbaum, the owner of the laboratory, admitted in a conversation caught on hidden camera that the prenatal paternity tests were “never that accurate.” The investigation revealed that, instead of relying on sound science, Viaguard seemed to have used guesswork in determining paternity, with former employees alleging the use of irrelevant information such as women’s menstrual cycles and dates of intercourse, which have no bearing on DNA tests.
Notably, Corale Mayer, a woman from North Bay, Ontario, received two erroneous prenatal paternity test results from Viaguard — one identifying an incorrect biological father, and another ruling out the actual one. This led to intense personal strife and legal complications. “It’s extremely traumatic,” Mayer said, revealing the anguish that wrong results have wrought.
Viaguard claimed to be using a non-invasive prenatal paternity test, it matches thousands of genomic data points — known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) — in the fetal DNA, which flows in the mother’s blood, with thousands of SNPs in the father’s DNA. However, the accuracy of Viaguard’s results was brought into question by experts and former customers alike. Dr. Mohammad Akbari, director of research at the molecular genetics laboratory at the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, pointed out that a legitimate test requires a substantial blood sample from the mother, something Viaguard did not always obtain.
Adding to the controversy, when confronted with the evidence, Tenenbaum insisted that the tests were “accurate” and “perfect,” attributing errors to customer mishandling of sample collection. He claimed that a price increase in testing substances, not the flawed results, led to the cessation of the prenatal paternity tests.
The regulatory oversight of such DNA labs appears to be lacking. Associate Prof. Ma’n Zawati, research director for McGill University’s Centre of Genomics and Policy, indicated that private commercial DNA laboratories, like Viaguard, do not require licenses and can exploit Canada’s fragmented regulatory system. Health Canada confirmed it does not regulate such commercial DNA labs.
The Standards Council of Canada revoked Viaguard’s accreditation in 2015 after numerous complaints, yet the company continues to offer various DNA testing services under different online storefronts. The continued operation of Viaguard is a source of frustration and disbelief for those like Mayer, who was affected by their erroneous tests.
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– Canadian DNA lab knew its paternity tests identified the wrong dads, but it kept selling them
– Get informed on the top stories of the day in one quick scan, CBC.ca, Tue, 09 Apr 2024 10:35:53 GMT