College of American Pathologists Recognized as an Accrediting Organization Providing Histocompatibility Services Appropriate for Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Transplant Patients
By: Andra Moehring, MHA, FACT Standards Development Manager
The Seventh Edition FACT-JACIE International Standards for Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Product Collection, Processing, and Administration require (B2.14) “Clinical Programs performing allogeneic transplantation shall use HLA laboratories that are … accredited by the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI), the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI), or other accrediting organizations providing histocompatibility services appropriate for hematopoietic cellular therapy transplant patients.” Similar standards exist in the FACT Common Standards (B2.9), the NetCord-FACT Cord Blood Standards (B5.6), and in the FACT Immune Effector Cell Standards (B2.9).
To facilitate a fair and objective assessment of appropriateness, the HLA Typing Accreditation Committee of FACT, JACIE, NetCord, and NMDP developed Guidelines for Histocompatibility Typing Standards and Accreditation Programs. These Guidelines will be reviewed every three years and revised appropriately. Each applicant accrediting organization is required to submit documentation to FACT for review by the HLA Typing Accreditation Committee that demonstrates appropriateness of its standards and accreditation program for the relevant population.
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) submitted its documentation to FACT for review. During the review and feedback process, it was clear that CAP had a significant commitment to being recognized by FACT as an accrediting organization providing histocompatibility services appropriate for hematopoietic cellular therapy transplant patients.
The FACT Board of Directors voted to approve CAP as an accrediting organization providing histocompatibility services appropriate for hematopoietic cellular therapy transplant patients. With this approval, CAP will be accepted in FACT Accreditation applications and included in FACT Standards. CAP will include the HLA Typing Accreditation Committee during its review and revisions of Standards and Checklists on an annual basis to ensure continued appropriateness for inclusion in FACT’s Standards and Accreditation Program.
