Working to standards

The Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (IIID) is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities of Australia (NATA) in the Research and Development (R&D) program, to perform HLA sequence-based typing and viral sequencing in compliance with the ISO/AS 17025 standard for Laboratory testing. IIID is currently the only facility in Western Australia with R&D accreditation and one of only six facilities in Australia.

The Institute is also accredited to perform sequence-based HLA typing in compliance to the standards of the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI). R&D accreditation demonstrates that the Institute has implemented good research management practices which provide collaborators with a high level of confidence in the validity and accuracy of results generated by the Institute.

The Institute has implemented a rigorous Quality Management System to ensure that laboratory testing is performed in accordance with published standards. The Quality Management System at IIID is comprised of managerial and technical requirements to ensure that standards are met. These include ensuring that:

• methods used in the laboratory have been validated for use and are regularly reviewed
• staff are adequately trained in laboratory techniques and in the use of specialized equipment
• equipment is in good working order and regularly calibrated
• reagents are tested before use
• samples can be tracked through the laboratory and data integrity is protected.

Technical proficiency is regularly demonstrated by participation in external Quality Assurance Programs. Regular internal audits are performed to verify compliance to standards and to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. Staff members at IIID are committed to ensuring quality standards are met.

For more information on Quality Assurance at the Institute, please contact the Quality Manager, Dr Paul Egan on (08) 9360 1367 or p.egan@iiid.com.au