AABB and FACT Recommended by Advisory Council to Be Recognized as National Cord Blood Inventory Accrediting Organizations

The Advisory Council on Blood Stem Cell Transplantation has recommended that both AABB and the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapies, or FACT, be recognized as accrediting organizations of National Cord Blood Inventory banks. At a meeting this week, the council unanimously adopted this recommendation, noting that both organizations are expected to adhere to the Health Resources and Services Administration’s specifications regarding cord blood safety and that their continued recognition as accrediting organizations will be based on ongoing adherence to these specifications. In addition, the council discussed a recommendation to the secretary of health and human services to re-evaluate this decision in three years. The recommendations will be made available on the HRSA Web site in the coming weeks. Also during the meeting, the council addressed informed consent for cord blood donations, scientific factors needed to define a cord blood unit as “high quality," adult donor recruitment and recent clinical developments.