A training was held according to the standard ISO 20387:2018 Biotechnology – Biobanking – General requirements for biobanking

During the previous week, in the Palace of Serbia with the support of TAIEX, training was held for the accreditation according to the standard ISO 20387:2018, Biotechnology – Biobanking – General requirements for biobanking.

A training was carried out by the experts from Italy, Ms. Elena Bravo (UNI) and Laura Lo Guzzo (ACCREDIA).

Following world trends in the field of accreditation, ATS recognized the importance of introducing this scheme in its work system and enabled experts, assessors, and employees of ATS to acquire the necessary knowledge in this innovative field.

Biobanking plays a key role in the improvement of medicine and disease research, as well as in the preservation of valuable biological material from the entire spectrum of the living world, ecosystems, and biocenosis. The increasing need for reliable samples and compliance with strict ethical and legal norms requires the timely implementation of activities in the development of this important field.

The Institute for Standardization published this standard in the Serbian language, SRPS EN ISO 20387:2021 - Biotechnology - Biobanking - General requirements for biobanking, on March 31st, 2022.

This document establishes general requirements for competence, impartiality, and consistent work of biobanks, including requirements for quality control, in order to ensure that biological material and collected data are of appropriate quality. This document is applicable to all organizations that store biological materials including biological materials from multicellular organisms (human, animal, fungal, or plant). Users of biobanks, legislative bodies, organizations, and schemes that use peer evaluation, accreditation bodies, and others can also use this document when confirming or recognizing the competence of biobanks.

We would like to thank the trainers who shared their knowledge and experience with us and all the participants of this training who followed the presentations with great attention in order to improve the accreditation system in the Republic of Serbia and beyond.