Accreditation of Cellular Therapy
In December 1994, the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) merged their standards into a single document covering all aspects of hematopoietic cell therapy (collection, processing and transplantation). The two societies established Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) in order to develop a voluntary practice of cellular therapy through its peer-developed standards and voluntary inspection and accreditation program.
In 2006, FACT, in collaboration with the Joint Accreditation Committee – ISCT & EBMT (JACIE), developed international standards in the field of cellular therapy. JACIE was founded by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and ISCT, the two leading scientific organizations involved with cellular transplantation in Europe.
The FACT Inspection and Accreditation Program was developed by Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, FACT medical director; FACT directors and officers; and the ISCT and ASBMT regulatory and standards committees. The first edition of the FACT standards was published in September 1996, and the first inspections began in September 1997 with the first program awarded accreditation in 1998.