Celebrating 30 Years of ICCBBA and the Global Evolution of ISBT 128
Eoin McGrath- Apr 15
- 2 min read
17 April 2025 marks a major milestone—30 years since the incorporation of ICCBBA as an independent entity, the international not-for-profit organization responsible for managing the ISBT 128 Standard. Founded in 1994 as a technical committee to standardize blood product labeling to ensure the safe identification, labeling, and traceability, ICCBBA has evolved into a global framework supporting a wide range of medical products of human origin (MPHO), including tissues, cells, human milk, and advanced therapies. Today, ISBT 128 provides the globally consistent standard for internationally unique identifiers, standardized product descriptions, and barcoding solutions that improve safety, interoperability, and traceability of MPHO worldwide.
Over the past three decades, ISBT 128 has been adopted in almost 80 countries and is endorsed by major health authorities, including the FDA and EU Commission. ICCBBA has been a Non-State Actor in Official Relations with WHO since 2014 and works with a wide network of professional MPHO associations. Key achievements include the expansion of the Standard into tissues, cellular therapy, and regenerative medicine, support for public health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic with convalescent plasma codes, and alignment with digital health standards like HL7 FHIR and GS1.
As healthcare continues to evolve, so too does ICCBBA’s mission. Future efforts to further enhance transparency and safety are focused on strengthening integration with electronic health records, facilitating traceability of starting materials for advanced therapies, and addressing implementation challenges in low-resource settings. Education and training will be enhanced to ensure that developers and end-users can fully exploit the benefits of standardisation.
The 30th anniversary was celebrated during November 2024 at the Forum 30 conference in Rome. The conference embodied the global nature of ICCBBA with over 100 attendees from over 30 countries around the world sharing insights and experience regarding MPHO safety and traceability.
Thanks are due to the many volunteers who contributed to ICCBBA’s success over the last three decades from Board members to participants in advisory group and committee. Their tireless contributions have made ICCBBA the global organisation that it has become. Our appreciation also goes to all the staff and leadership of ICCBBA over the years who critically maintain the standard ensuring that it evolves with users’ needs and changes in practice.
The 30th anniversary of ICCBBA is not only a moment to reflect on its global impact, but also an opportunity to look ahead. With ISBT 128 at the core of safe and efficient MPHO handling, ICCBBA remains committed to collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement—ensuring that patient safety and healthcare interoperability remain top priorities in the years to come.
Stay connected, stay informed, and stay inspired with ICCBBA.
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About ICCBBA:
ICCBBA is the nonprofit international standards organization responsible for the development and management of the ISBT 128 Standard.
The acronym ISBT was originally derived from the important role played by the International Society of Blood Transfusion in the development of the Standard. Today it expands as Information Standard for Blood and Transplantation. The number 128 reflects the 128 characters of the ISO/IEC 646 7-bit character set.
The acronym ICCBBA is derived from the International Council for Commonality in Blood Banking Automation.
For More Information About ICCBBA:
Media Contact:
Christina Salinas
Email: support@isbt128.org
Author
Executive Director, ICCBBA
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