The Biobank IHBT Prague was recently awarded prestigious accreditation

This standard sets requirements for the entire process of handling biological material and related data with the aim of ensuring their high quality and usability for science and research. During the assessment, the CIA (Czech Institute of Accreditation) also underwent a repeat evaluation by European Accreditation, including an expansion to cover the field of biobanks, which made the entire process somewhat more suspenseful.

29 Jun 2026 Adéla Benešová

The Czech-Swiss team that visited the Biobank IHBT Prague in May 2026.

The Biobank of the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (IHBT) Prague has reached a significant milestone in the area of quality assurance and standardization of biobanking processes. It is the second biobank in the Czech Republic to obtain accreditation ČSN EN ISO 20387:2021 standard, which is an internationally recognized standard for the competent, impartial, and consistent operation of biobanks.

Accreditation was granted for three types of biological material—plasma, DNA, and viable leukocytes. These samples represent a valuable resource for research into hematological and oncological diseases, and their availability in guaranteed quality significantly supports the development of modern medicine and a personalized approach to patient care.

“This successful accreditation represents an important step toward the further development of the Biobank IHBT Prague and strengthens its position among the leading biobanks in the Czech Republic and represents official recognition that the Biobank IHBT Prague is qualified to carry out specific activities. At the same time, it paves the way for more intensive national and international cooperation and for the provision of high-quality biological samples for scientific projects focused on research into hematopoietic diseases and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.”
Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Kateřina Machová Poláková, Ph.D.
Head of Biobank IHBT Prague

Since 2023, Biobank IHBT Prague has been one of eight members of the large research infrastructure BBMRI.cz (Czech Biobank Network), which was established by the Government of the Czech Republic. This network has long stored and managed more than 2 million samples of high-quality biological material and makes them available for scientific and research purposes in accordance with the legislative framework of the Czech Republic.

The samples provided by the Biobank IHBT Prague focus primarily on rare hematological and oncological diagnoses; however, the network also includes samples from donors with oncological, rheumatological, cardiovascular, and infectious disease diagnoses, as well as samples from population studies. These awards demonstrate that the Biobank IHBT Prague meets internationally recognized requirements and ranks among the modern biobank infrastructures supporting cutting-edge biomedical research.

“BBMRI.cz Executive Director Assoc. Prof. Roman Hrstka, Ph.D., adds: “I am very proud that we already have two accredited biobanks in our network (the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and IHBT). High-quality, processed, and validated material from biobanks is an essential component of nearly every biomedical research project.
However, it is important to realize that biological material banks consist not only of samples but also of data. We are focusing on data-related issues as well as sample quality management in the recently launched Czech-Swiss project CS-BIQ (Czech-Swiss Biobank Infrastructure Initiative for Fair Data and Quality).””
Assoc. Prof. Roman Hrstka, Ph.D.,
BBMRI.cz Executive Director

This article was written as part of Project No. 8K0204 (CS-BIQ), funded by the Czech-Swiss Cooperation Program in the Field of Research Infrastructures under the Second Swiss Contribution to Selected EU Member States, administered by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic.

CS-BIG projekt

As part of this project, the Biobank IHBT Prague underwent an evaluation by the Swiss Biobanking Platform. In May, colleagues from Switzerland visited the biobank, during which they familiarized themselves with its operations, processes, and quality assurance system. The Biobank IHBT Prague successfully obtained the Swiss node’s quality labels—“Norma” and “Optima”—which, in a simplified form, help align processes with accreditation procedures. The NORMA label assesses the harmonization and standardization of the biobank’s activities, while the highest level, OPTIMA, focuses on continuous improvement, documentation management, and monitoring of quality indicators.

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