In 2019, Cells4Life achieved AABB accreditation through its UK laboratory operations, marking a key milestone in the organisation’s commitment to internationally recognized standards in cord blood banking.
Across our operations, we uphold internationally recognized standards and accreditations, supported by rigorous quality management systems that reflect our commitment to high standards, ethics, and integrity in cord blood banking.
Today, Cells4Life’s US laboratory is AABB accredited, reflecting globally recognized standards for quality, safety and best practice in cord blood banking.
What does AABB stand for?
AABB stands for the American Association of Blood Banks, an international not-for-profit organization based in the USA. Founded in 1947, the AABB has long been the global leader in developing standards, accreditation and implementation of quality systems for transfusion medicine and cellular therapies.
The Association particularly emphasizes donor and patient safety. Currently, the Association accredits almost 2,000 institutions around the world and its membership includes 8,000 people working within transfusion medicine and cellular therapies.
What are the core values of the AABB?
The AABB has four core principles. Receiving accreditation means that Cells4Life consistently demonstrates these values in all we do:
- Respect – we respect other AABB members, as well as our clients, cord blood donors and patients
- Integrity – Cells4Life is dedicated to the highest ethical standards of practice
- Transparency – we maintain open, honest communication with our customers
- Excellence – we strive to promote and implement best practices to help our customers make the most of their samples.
What are the AABB’s standards?
The AABB outlines a comprehensive set of standards for its accredited members. These cover everything from maternal screening and testing to processing, blood storage to patient outcomes.
Every two years, these standards are reviewed and revised by a special committee made up of cord blood experts, ethicists, and stem cell transplant physicians. Accredited institutions must then reapply for certification.
Why does accreditation matter?
The AABB is based in the United States and accredits institutions in more than 50 countries. Its accreditation is recognized worldwide as a mark of quality and safety, providing independent validation that a laboratory meets rigorous standards for quality, safety, and operational performance.
Accreditation means that key areas such as staff training, laboratory procedures, quality management, equipment, and record keeping are regularly assessed against established standards.
For families choosing to bank their baby’s stem cells, AABB accreditation provides additional confidence that the laboratory follows recognized best practices for the collection, processing, testing, and long-term storage of cord blood stem cells. At Cells4Life, it reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards of quality throughout our stem cell banking service.
What other registrations and standards does Cells4Life meet?
In addition to AABB accreditation, Cells4Life operates in accordance with the regulatory and quality standards applicable to stem cell banking in the United States.
Our laboratory is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under 21 CFR Part 1271, the federal regulations governing human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps). We also maintain compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), helping to safeguard the privacy and security of our customers’ personal and medical information.
Together with our AABB accreditation, these standards reflect our ongoing commitment to quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Find out more about our accreditations here.
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