Mayo Clinic biorepository earns high accreditation honors

By Sharon Rosen

Biospecimens, such as tissue, blood and plasma, provide a window into health and disease. They are used in research to improve patient care – from finding genomic links to disease, to testing new drugs or developing new therapies. So it is essential that biospecimens be stored in biorepositories that maintain the highest quality standards to ensure the integrity of these specimens and the validity of all research studies using these valuable resources.

The Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine’s biorepository follows stringent guidelines and best practices in biospecimen management and recently earned the College of American Pathologists biorepository accreditation.

Dr. Stephen Thibodeau

“At Mayo Clinic, biospecimens play a critical role in all phases of research and are becoming increasingly important as we work to develop individualized therapies for patients based on their genomic and biological characteristics,” says Stephen Thibodeau, Ph.D., program director of the Mayo Clinic Biorepository. “This accreditation recognizes our commitment to using the highest quality standards for biospecimen management, that ensures accuracy at the same time as protecting privacy of contributors.”

The accreditation requires proof of the highest level of accuracy in collecting, processing and storing blood and tissue samples used in research to improve patient care. Biorepositories also must meet scientifically endorsed standards of quality, efficiency, consistent process and best practices.

Individualized Medicine blog

Share this:

Mayo Clinic biorepository earns high accreditation honors