The History of FACT

 

Established In 1992, The International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) was formed as a professional society representing scientists and physicians working in the area of hematopoietic stem cell graft manipulation. It has over 1100 members representing all of the major bone marrow/stem cell transplant centers in the world. ISCT developed the first draft of the Standards for Hematopoietic Cell Collection and Processing.

The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) was formed in 1993 as a professional organization representing physicians and investigators involved in the clinical conduct of hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation. The society has more than 1000 members predominantly in the United States and Canada. ASBMT developed the first draft of the Clinical Standards for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

In December 1994, ISCT and ASBMT merged their Standards into a single document covering all aspects of hematopoietic cell therapy (collection, processing, and transplantation). The two societies established FACT in order to develop a voluntary Inspection and Accreditation Program based on the joint Standards.

Recognizing the importance of developing consensus Graft Processing Standards, in 1994 the North American Task Force (NATF) was formed consisting of all the major professional organizations interested in hematopoietic cell therapy, including ISCT, ASBMT, and FACT. There was general consensus that the FACT Standards were of sufficiently high quality to serve as a template for the other organizations involved in this field. Thus, there should be no conflict between the FACT Standards and those of other standard-setting organizations. The first edition of the FACT Standards was published in September 1996.

The FACT Inspection and Accreditation Program was developed by Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, FACT Medical Director, the FACT Directors and Officers, as well as the ISCT and ASBMT Regulatory and Standards Committees.  The first inspections began in September of 1997 with the first programs awarded accreditation in 1998.