Overview
The Regenerative Medicine Technical Advisory Group (RMTAG) is chartered with developing nomenclature in areas of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and those products that fall between the tissue and cellular therapy areas. The work the group does ties in with the 2010 World Health Assembly Resolution WHA63.22, which urges member states to “encourage the implementation of globally consistent coding systems for human cells, tissues, and organs as such in order to facilitate national and international traceability of material of human origin for transplantation”.
The goal of RMTAG is to develop terminology that meets the needs in a way that is acceptable internationally. The group will work alongside other ICCBBA TAGs with the aim of developing terminology for all MPHO. The group consists of a core membership comprised of chairs and experts from the international tissue and cellular therapy Technical Advisory Groups, along with ICCBBA staff members. Technical experts in a given area will be called upon to provide their knowledge and expertise when needed.
Summary of Recent Activity
Ineke Slaper-Cortenbach concluded a second term as Chair of the Regenerative Medicine Technical Advisory Group (RMTAG). Martin Hildebrandt was appointed as the new Chair.
The RMTAG is currently developing the ISBT 128 Standard Labeling of Regenerated Tissues to help facilities and software developers design appropriate ISBT 128 labels for regenerated tissues.
Proposal 19-002 v2—New data structure for constituent MPHO elements of a product—was approved by the RMTAG, the Cellular Therapy Coding and Labeling Advisory Group (CTCLAG), and the Standards Committee. ICCBBA is working on the implementation of this new data structure.
Terminology for encoding autologous information for regenerated tissue products is being discussed.
RMTAG members were invited to participate in the survey “Developing ISBT 128 into the Global Code for Regenerative Medicine Product Labeling” in September 2021. The survey focused on the importance of ISBT 128 for Regenerative Medicine products, opportunities for growth, and strategic directions for future development.
The committee members reviewed the RMTAG Terms of Reference. ICCBBA will report the committee’s recommendations to the Standards Committee at the meeting on November 18, 2021.
Meeting Info
No face-to-face meetings are currently scheduled for RMTAG.
TAG Members
Chair
• Martin Hildebrandt
Representatives
• Jacques Galipeau - International Society for Cell Therapy
• Marina Maréchal - Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society
Technical Experts
• Julie Allickson
• Alyce Jones
• Mickey Koh
• Leigh Sims Poston
• Zbigniew Szczepiorkowski
• Ineke Slaper- Cortenbach
• Diane Wilson
Observers
• Piotr Bratek
• Clement Glinkowski
• Teresa Oliveira
• David Steiner
• Tomasz Wojcicki
Liaisons
• Francisca Agbanyo - Health Canada
• Izabela Uhrynowska-Tyszkiewicz – ITTAG
ICCBBA Staff Liaison
• Mónica Freire