Just the FACTs – February 2026 Newsletter
President’s Letter
It is an honor to greet you with the first letter of my tenure as President of the FACT Board of Directors. In my previous role as Vice President, I was fortunate to work alongside Past President Dr. Catherine Bollard and my colleagues to advocate for the role of FACT in cellular therapy and to set the stage for anticipated growth. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year, we plan to do our part to continue a culture of quality and safety to help realize the incredible potential of advancing cellular therapy.
In the past year, we have built upon our storied tradition of peer-based standards and accreditation, extending our role in hematopoietic cell therapy transplantation and cord blood banking to the promising developments of global advancement in cellular therapies. The increase in the number and diversity of FACT-accredited programs is a testament of stakeholders’ commitment to provide access to quality cellular therapy to all eligible patients.
Now, we are implementing many of the plans we established in 2025. In this newsletter, we describe several events and resources already made available in the first two months of 2026. Our redesigned website makes information easy to find and understand, and our updated Quality Handbook and educational events provide useful information for those seeking to continuously improve. We will also continue to provide clarification on standards and accreditation requirements in this newsletter. A major focus for this year is going to be the implementation of the new “fit-for-purpose” Community IEC Standards, which is an important step towards ensuring broader access to high-quality care for CAR T-cell therapy recipients.
I’d like to end this letter with a sincere thanks to all FACT volunteer Board members, committee members, and inspectors. The spirit of service you extend to your colleagues helps them provide excellent care to their patients. Thank you to our outgoing Board members for their leadership, and thank you to the many individuals who have taken the first steps to train to be FACT inspectors.
Sincerely,
Navneet Majhail, MD, MS, FASTCT
FACT President
