The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Biobank has been authorized by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to conduct various biobanking tasks, such as collecting, labeling, processing, preserving, storing, distributing, and supervising biological samples with corresponding clinical information for research purposes.
The UMMC Biobank is a state-of-the-art facility that collects, stores, and distributes biological samples for medical research purposes. The biobank houses a vast array of biospecimens, including blood, tissue, urine, and saliva, collected from patients and healthy volunteers.
The ANAB has recently launched a new ISO 20387 program for biobanking, and UMMC Biobank is among the initial facilities to obtain accreditation under this program. This accreditation recognizes UMMC’s efforts to enable thorough translational research while ensuring the protection of donor identities and compliance with regulations.
ANAB is a leading accrediting body that assesses and recognizes the competence and credibility of laboratories, inspection bodies, and proficiency testing providers. ANAB’s accreditation process involves rigorous evaluation of the laboratory’s technical competence, quality management system, and adherence to international standards.
The availability of biobanked material, which refers to a significant number of human biological samples along with their pertinent personal and health information, is essential for successful scientific research and advancements in various fields. To ensure the reliability and efficiency of biobank facilities and to instill trust in their practices and institutions, ANAB’s biobanking accreditation program provides accreditation based on ISO 20387, which outlines the necessary standards for biobanking facilities to demonstrate their proficiency in appropriate sample handling, traceability, and long-term preservation of samples, as well as data quality.
Accredited entities are obligated to fulfill the conditions outlined in ISO 9001, which concerns quality management systems and corresponding ANAB standards. These additional requirements include the development of quality control plans and risk evaluations, reporting of unsatisfactory findings, implementation and documentation of corrective actions in the case of ISO 20387 non-conformities, and providing metrological traceability to the International System of Units (SI).
“Since its inception, ANAB has been heavily involved in biological sciences and the associated accreditation programs. We are very excited to advance these initiatives to include new and innovative disciplines like biobanking, which facilitates the delivery of precision healthcare,” said Roger Muse, ANAB VP, business development.
“Achieving and maintaining accreditation under ANAB’s ISO 20387 program is a clear indicator of the UMMC Biobank’s capabilities and reliability to its stakeholders, sample donors, and investigators,” said Dr. Gouri J. Mahajan, director of the UMMC Biobank. “This achievement will help UMMC facilitate advanced research, with a lasting impact on health care delivery.”
