IVRN Quality Assurance Program
Quality Assurance
A quality assurance program (QAP) is conducted twice yearly to ensure proficiency and provide training for member laboratories in PBMC fractionation and cryopreservation from research blood specimens.
Blood specimens from a single HIV-pos and HIV-neg donor are transported to member laboratories for simultaneous processing the following day according to procedures in the IVRN Lab Manual. A fresh locally-sourced healthy donor specimen is also processed at each site. Cryopreserved cells are returned to the central assessment laboratory, thawed, counted and assessed for immunological function.
A laboratory is certified as proficient in specimen processing if at least one returned specimen conforms to all quality standards: fractionation and post-thaw recovery, viability, and immune function, as discussed in the QAP report.
If a laboratory fails a QA round, the QAP coordinator will investigate the cause of the failed result, and provide remote or on-site training if required. Failure in two consecutive QA rounds will disqualify a laboratory from participating in new studies until proficiency is restored, thereby ensuring that valuable trial and cohort blood specimens are entrusted to laboratories with currently certified expertise.
IVRN QAP Past reports
IVRN QAP Documents & Policies
The IVRN Labs