Are you curious about how stem cell registries make sure they’re following the highest standards? WMDA Certification is a way to make sure, that donor are protected and patients needs are served. Here’s why certification is important:

Better Quality

WMDA brings in experts from around the world to check how registries work. These experts make sure that everything – from how donors are managed to how stem cells are collected – meets top international standards. This helps registries improve and offer the best possible service.

Global Acceptance

Health authorities in different countries recognise WMDA certification as a sign of quality. This means that stem cells from a certified registry are more likely to meet the legal and safety requirements of other countries – making it easier to share life-saving treatments across borders.

Helping Doctors Find the Best Match

When doctors search for a stem cell donor, they trust WMDA-certified registries. Donors from these registries are marked with a special certification logo, giving doctors confidence that they’re selecting from a reliable source – which helps patients get the right treatment faster.

WMDA certification makes sure that stem cell registries are doing things the right way – so more patients can get the help they need, no matter where they live.

The WMDA Standards help stem cell registries show that they’re following the best international rules for handling stem cells. Being certified means that a registry is doing things the right way to help patients around the world.

What Do WMDA Standards Cover?

• Helping patients from other countries – Making sure donor and cord blood requests from other countries are handled correctly.
• Supporting patients locally – Helping patients in the registry’s own country find a donor or cord blood unit from another country.
• Working together – Making sure donor centres, collection centres, transplant centres, and cord blood banks within a country are all coordinated and working efficiently.

When a registry follows WMDA Standards, it shows they’re serious about helping patients and doing things safely and professionally.

Quick references:

• 2024 WMDA Standards
• Guidance (request access by sending an e-mail to mail@wmda.info)

The first step is WMDA Benchmark L1 or WMDA Benchmark L2 certification:

To become WMDA Benchmark L1/L2 certified, an organisation must meet all benchmarked WMDA Standards. The review will focus on how the registry has organised its processes. Trained volunteers review the electronic submission of written documents covering the registry’s policies and procedures. Benchmark L1 is awarded to registries with low activity and can be renewed; Benchmark L2 is awarded to registries meeting a minimum activity of six donations in the last three years with two being international. The next step after Benchmark L2 is Full Standards certification. After receiving its Benchmark L1 or L2 certificate, an organisation is required to perform a mid-cycle surveillance in the second year of a four year cycle.

The second step is to become compliant with all required WMDA Standards:

Only WMDA Benchmark L2 registries can apply for WMDA Full Standards certification. To become WMDA Full Standards compliant, an organisation must meet all required WMDA Standards that cover all steps between donor recruitment and donor follow-up after blood stem cell donation.  After receiving its Full Standards  certificate, an organisation is required to perform a mid-cycle surveillance in the second year of a four year cycle. Once WMDA Full Standards compliant, a registry must apply for re-certification every four years.

Letter of Intent to apply for WMDA Certification

This page provides links to information about the Certification Body. The links describe the rules and procedures for granting, maintaining or withdrawing  Benchmark L1, Benchmark L2 or Full Standards certification, including the fees charged. The page also provides information about procedures for handling complaints and appeals.

• WMDA Standards, the basis of evaluation
• Requirements for submitting an application (Policy: Certification Body Application Requirements And Levels)
• Stepwise progress towards certification (Policy: Certification Body Application Requirements And Levels)
• Certification agreement listing rights and duties of applicants
• Evaluation process
• Procedures for handling complaints and appeals
• Fees
• Sources of funding

WMDA is looking for enthusiastic professionals who want to become reviewers. There are many benefits to becoming a reviewer:

• you will help organisations to give patients the best possible care;
• you will become an expert on WMDA Standards;
• you will learn new practices and operations from other organisations;
• you can share knowledge and expertise with others;
• you will become part of a network of colleagues;
• you will discover a variety of ways to meet WMDA Standards;
• you will be able to reflect on your own organisation’s practices;
• you will travel internationally for onsite audits; and
• you will learn how to use online tools and resources created for reviewers.

Applicants who wish to become a reviewer must meet certain criteria and be approved by the Certification Steering Committee. Once you are accepted as a reviewer, you will have to complete the online training programme within six months. Next, you will be required to participate as a trainee in a document review for a WMDA Benchmark L1/L2 or Full Standards application. The final step will be for you to perform an onsite (or remote) audit with an experienced reviewer.

After becoming a trained reviewer, you will be asked to assist in one to two reviews a year and will also have to complete continuing education. Interested? Contact WMDA office and ask for the details.

The aims of the Certification Body are to:

• Promote harmony between worldwide stem cell donor registries and cord blood banks
• Encourage uniformity of practice based on WMDA Standards
• Administer the WMDA certification programme.

The main activities of the WMDA Certification Body are focused in three Committees: WMDA Standards Committee, WMDA Certification Committee, and WMDA Certification Steering Committee. These three committees report directly to the Management Board of WMDA.

Since 2000, the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) has been running a programme to help cord blood banks prove they meet top international standards. This helps make sure that stem cell products from these banks are safe and high quality.

In 2017, the activities of the NetCord Foundation became part of WMDA. Since then, WMDA has been working with FACT to support and promote this accreditation programme for cord blood banks. The cord blood banks that are NetCord-FACT accredited follow a special pathway for WMDA Certification, as most of the WMDA Standards are covered through the NetCord-FACT accreditation.

Find here a list of accredited cord blood banks.