UCLA Orphan Disease Testing Center

The Orphan Disease Testing Center (ODTC) is uniquely appropriate for providing clinical confirmation of any and all mutations identified in subjects. UCLA’s ODTC was established two decades ago on just this model: to offer confirmation of DNA sequence variants identified in research laboratories and to generate an official clinical report from a laboratory that is fully licensed and accredited under CLIA, CAP, and the State of California. The laboratory director, Dr. Wayne Grody, is board-certified in Clinical Molecular Genetics, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Biochemical Genetics, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, and Molecular Genetic Pathology. He has also maintained a continuous leadership role over many years in establishing quality assurance and ethical guidelines for molecular genetic testing through numerous governmental and professional organizations that are now in practice nationwide. In this way, all of the regulatory burdens are transferred away from the research laboratory, and the DNA results can be provided legally and appropriately to physicians and patients for purposes of future medical management. 

The laboratory specializes in what is sometimes called "custom DNA sequencing", in which any mutation in any gene can readily be assessed, as long as the locus is provided by the referring research laboratory. For example, the laboratory provides validation of variants generated by the Clinical Genomics Center at UCLA that generates Whole Exome Sequencing data. In addition, the group has strong translational research interests, and were the first laboratory to be awarded NIH funding from the Office of Rare Diseases to support rapid and reliable translations of research tests to the clinical setting. 

For more information, please visit the Orphan Disease Testing webpage.

Last updated
January 5, 2024