The National Accreditation Body (ENAC) has granted accreditation to the Biobank of the Public Health System, Andalucia (SSPA) for the activities it carries out as the Granada Hub of the National Cell Lines Bank (Banco Nacional de Líneas Celulares, BNLC), so recognizing its technical competence for acquiring, preparing, preserving, storing, quality controlling, and distributing biological samples and associated data for use in research.

Specifically, this accreditation supports the biobank's activity related to the custody and distribution of human pluripotent cell lines (hPSCs), which include both embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cell lines are fundamental for biomedical research, as they enable progress in developing new treatments, as well as for studying the origin and evolution of numerous diseases, including those of genetic, degenerative, or cancerous nature. The Granada Hub acts as key infrastructure for ensuring the availability, quality, and traceability of these types of cell lines, which are used by researchers nationally and internationally.

Thanks to this accreditation, users will be able to trust that the biological materials they receive have been managed with the necessary technical competence and rigor to be used reliably. This is stated by Rocío Aguilar-Quesada, Technical Manager of the Biobank, Andalucia Public Health System:

“Thanks to this accreditation, the SSPA Biobank quality policy ensures quality is included in all its processes, thereby ensuring better service, and external assessment promotes continuous improvement. The publication of a specific ISO standard for biobank activities and the corresponding accreditation process represented an excellent opportunity to meet these objectives. As a hub of the BNLC, the SSPA Biobank, among its functions, must promote the quality and safety of the procedures over which it has competence, which is why we are committed to an initial accreditation scope that includes the activity of storage and distribution of human pluripotent cell lines.”

She also indicates what the main benefits of this accreditation are for the users of this service:

“We believe that accreditation by the ISO 20387 reference standard will provide confidence to the users of the SSPA Biobank (researchers and donors), as well as visibility of the activities carried out within the BNLC framework, promoting quality and access to resources for biomedical research in line with national and international strategies in biobanks.”