9th successful inspection of Biohellenika's laboratories by AABB
Dear parents,
Today, the three-day inspection of Biohellenika’s laboratories by the international organization AABB (American Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies) was successfully concluded. This was the 9th inspection of our laboratories by this US-based organization.
Established in 1950, the AABB accredits services and products related to peripheral blood, bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood. The largest transplant centers in the USA are affiliated with umbilical cord blood banks accredited by the AABB or FACT (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy) for the treatment of hematological diseases. In Europe, transplant centers are traditionally affiliated with organizations holding FACT accreditation.
Biohellenika holds both accreditations to cover every potential use. International accreditation was—and remains—a requirement under greek Law 3984/2011 for such banks. Regarding public or private umbilical cord blood banks, FACT accreditation was established as a requirement in 2017. This accreditation remained valid and mandatory until 2025; however, citing a "decline in quality" and the inability of other private banks to obtain it, the current leadership of the Ministry of Health summarily abolished the requirement—doing so just one day after Biohellenika had secured the accreditation.
Today, the public banks at the Academy and Papanikolaou Hospital, as well as the private bank Biohellenika, hold this accreditation in our country; for this reason, we are registered with the international network of donor units for transplantation, from which transplant centers source stem cells.