FAQs - About FACT-NetCord

FACT (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy) establishes and promotes the highest standards for quality patient care and laboratory performance in the belief that a valid accreditation should assess both clinical and laboratory aspects. The NetCord foundation is an international network of non-profit public cord blood banks created to promote the establishment of high quality cord blood banks and improve the quality of cord blood products through study and research.

Recognising the global impact of cord blood banking and transplantation, FACT partnered with NetCord in 2000 to develop international standards for cord blood collection, processing, testing, banking, selection and release. Until today, FACT-NetCord is the most prestigious accreditating organisation specifically for cord blood banks.  

The FACT Inspection and Accreditation Programme was developed by Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, FACT Medical Director, the FACT Directors and Officers, as well as the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) Regulatory and Standards Committees. The first edition of the FACT-NetCord Standards was published in 2000.

FACT-NetCord is the only accrediting organisation that addresses all quality aspects of hematopoietic cell therapy (collection, processing, and transplantation). A FACT-NetCord accreditation is awarded after successful documentation/proof of compliance with the FACT-NetCord Standards. These Standards are developed by international teams of world-renowned experts in the field of Cellular Therapy. They include the only set of international requirements that encompass both clinical and laboratory practices, in believing that since quality can only be achieved if both clinical and laboratory issues are effectively addressed. FACT-NetCord is the all-but-necessary qualification to be accepted and competitive in the field of cellular therapy.