NATA is pleased to announce the introduction of a biobanking accreditation program in accordance with ISO 20387 Biotechnology – Biobanking – General requirements for biobanking.
Accreditation with NATA will provide independent recognition to biobanks that is highly regarded around the world.
ISO 20387 was developed to promote confidence in biobanks. The standard covers requirements that allow biobanks to demonstrate their competence in being able to provide biological material and associated data that meets the needs of research and development organisations.
A biobank is a biorepository that accepts, processes, stores and distributes biological material and associated data for use in research and clinical care. This biological material can come from human, animal or plant sources.
The accreditation process with NATA will cover collection (or acquisition), preservation, quality control, storage and distribution of biological material. It will also include a review of the management system underpinning these processes.
The benefits of compliance with the standard include greater cooperation and harmonisation between biobanks to make available reliable biological material and data for research and development.
NATA will be engaging with stakeholders, including technical experts, to further develop the program to ensure that it meets the needs of the scientific and clinical community.
NATA was established in 1947, is the oldest national accreditation program and a founding member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Further details on the NATA biobanking accreditation program and requirements will be available soon. Please direct any inquiries about accreditation for biobanks to Gillian Treloar, Deputy Manager, Legal and Clinical Services on 1800 621 666 or corpcomm@nata.com.au.