Learn about Quality Assurance programs

There are several internationally recognized programs that provide assurance of a known standard and level of quality for biospecimens.

Enrollment in the CTRNet quality assurance program is relatively simple and involves the following actions by a single individual (e.g., the research principal investigator, biobank leader, or most responsible person in the research project or the biobank):

  1. Go to the CTRNet program website and Sign Up for free registration in the CTRNet program.
  2. Create an account and complete the registration form (15 minutes)
  3. Complete the education module ‘Overview of Research Biobanking’ (15 minutes to 3 hours depending on prior knowledge and engagement with the content).
  4. Download confirmation of enrollment (the record of registration and education module completion report).

Click here for more information about other biobank quality assurance programs

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification program – For more information about obtaining CLIA certification please see the following links: How to Apply for a CLIA Certificate, Including International Laboratories and International laboratory CLIA

Standards Council of Canada (SCC) Accreditation – For information on SCC accreditation please see the following link: SCC Accreditation

College of American Pathologist’s (CAP) Biorepository accreditation program – For more information on CAP’s accreditation program please see the following link: Biorepository accreditation program

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification for Biotechnology and Biobanking – Certification in accordance to ISO is currently in development, for more information please see: ISO Certification

Please see “Barnes et al., 2016 ” for more information on biospecimen quality and adherence to standards.

Video of the CTRNet Registration Process

Contact info@biobanking.org for assistance with registration. Put registration in the subject line.