Background to the National Tissue Bank of the University of Pretoria

The National Tissue Bank of the University of Pretoria is an accredited human tissue bank that comply with the Quality Management System requirements of International Standard ISO 9001:2000.

To further guide our practice, the National Tissue Bank is informed by recommendations from:

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)    International Standards on Tissue Banks; 
• The American Association of Tissue Bank (AATB)    Standards for Tissue Banking; and 
• The Food and Drug Administration's proposed code   of conduct for current good tissue practice.

Affiliation

In aligning itself with the vision of the University of Pretoria, the National Tissue Bank, a division within the Faculty of Health Sciences, makes full use of the wealth of expertise and knowledge situated at the University, specifically in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The returns gained are reinvested in training and research in the medical field.

The National Tissue Bank is dedicated to rendering a service and supplying products that comply with applicable national legislation and accepted international standards. To this end, measures have been implemented to ensure international access to information, impeccable quality maintenance, accreditation and certification of its products.

Accreditation & Certification

We maintain affiliations with organisations that provide processing functions that are not performed within our facility. These affiliations are strictly confined to those organisations that were granted the necessary certifications or accreditations by the bodies that govern their particular operation.

In addition, we provide assistance to organisations that process organs and other types of human tissue, thus performing an even broader function in this critical field of medical technology.

The National Tissue Bank is fully qualified to screen, test, recover, process and distribute tissue that are safe and that is of consistent high quality. The huamn tissue are obtained in a manner that shows respect to the donor and his/her family.