ISBER 2020, Educational Program Series
ON DEMAND WEBINAR
A Path Towards Sustainability -
ISO 20387 Accreditation of a Cornell Biobank
Speakers:
- Dr Lara Mouttham, PhD, Laboratory Coordinator, Cornell Veterinary Biobank
- Susan J. Garrison, LVT, BT, Sample Collection Coordinator, Cornell Veterinary Biobank
Abstract:
Biobanks play an integral role in research and precision medicine by collecting, processing, storing, and distributing high-quality biological material and associated data. With large commitments from the institutions that support biobanks – the NCI has reported spending over 50 million dollars per year on its biobank infrastructure - and advancements in precision medicine resulting directly from these resources, stakeholders (donors, funders, and users) are more likely to request a value and impact measure for the biobanks they support, along with a long-term sustainability plan that can assure the continuous running of such operations beyond the immediate future.
Biobank sustainability has been defined and characterized to encompass three dimensions (financial, operational, and social), and solutions have been proposed to increase sustainability practices. To address the social dimension of sustainability, the proposed strategies have included two major components – one relating to the acceptability of the biobank’s activities by not only the participants/donors, but also the public at large, and the other a commitment to accept standards of practice with approaches that show the commitment to those practices, such as enrolling in accreditation or certification programs for biobanks.
In January 2019, the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) introduced the ISO 20387 Biobank Accreditation Program. This third party accreditation offered an independent review of an organization’s compliance with ISO 20387 - General Requirements for Biobanking, the first standard released by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) exclusively for biobanks. In this workshop we explore how accreditation to ISO 20387 can improve biobank sustainability, by using the case example of the first biobank in the world to receive accreditation to this standard - the Cornell Veterinary Biobank.
Learning Objectives:
- Biobank Sustainability Dimensions
- Biobank Sustainability Practices
- Types of Conformity Assessment and Attestation
- Importance of Biobank Accreditation
- Case Study of Sustainability Improvements through Accreditation
Speaker Profiles:
- Dr Lara Mouttham, PhD, Laboratory Coordinator, Cornell Veterinary Biobank
Lara Mouttham is the Laboratory Coordinator for the Cornell Veterinary Biobank (CVB) in Ithaca, NY. She obtained a PhD in Zoology and Wildlife Conservation from Cornell University in collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), Washington, DC in 2016 for her work primordial follicle activation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation in cattle and domestic cats. In addition to her graduate research and subsequent postdoctoral fellowship, she maintained the SCBI Genome Resource Bank which stores gametes and genetic materials from wildlife species. She joined the CVB in 2018, where she oversees the laboratory operations for nucleic acid processing and banking. She is part of the quality assurance team that developed the CVB quality management system and prepared the biobank for accreditation to ISO 20387 by A2LA in April 2019. She is currently training to become an A2LA assessor for ISO 20387 and 17025.
- Susan J. Garrison, LVT, BT, Sample Collection Coordinator, Cornell Veterinary Biobank
Susan Garrison is the Sample Collection Coordinator for the Cornell Veterinary Biobank (CVB) in Ithaca, NY. Susan has degrees in both animal science & technology as well as veterinary science & technology. In addition to her many years of experience as a licensed veterinary technician including her work at Cornell University Hospital for Animals serving in the Anesthesia Service and Medical Genetics Service, she has 10 years of biobanking experience with the Cornell Veterinary Biobank. As the CVB’s SCC, she oversees clinical sample recruitment as well as the collection, accessioning, preservation and storage of tissue samples and associated data for the CVB. She acquires and manages relevant clinical data associated with samples, consulting with clinical specialists for phenotypic confirmation to ensure data accuracy. She is also involved in project management and tissue sample distributions. She is part of the quality assurance team that developed the CVB quality management system and prepared the biobank for accreditation to ISO 20387 by A2LA in April 2019. She is currently an instructor for A2LA WPT’s class titled, Understanding ISO 20387:2018 General Requirements for Biobanking.