The Future Role of the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) in Tissue Banking

The International Atomic Energy Agency, an agency of the United Nations, has supported tissue banking programmes in 28 countries to further extend the use of ionising radiation for medical sterilisation applications. Up to 1998, some 115,000 tissue allografts have been produced and clinically used. A new thematic approach has now been introduced to set strict criteria to govern future developments. The emphasis will be on appropriate training and the introduction of Quality Systems in order to achieve international standards. Countries wishing to gain further support will be required to demonstrate the need and performance. To ensure a training mode appropriate to a global organisation, a multi-media training curriculum has been developed, which can be delivered by distance learning methods. Following its successful launch in the Asia Pacific region, the curriculum is now being translated into Spanish for use in Latin American countries. The Republic of Korea government too has provided resources for translation into their language and to initiate a national programme. In other countries national networks are being set up for improving public and professional awareness, training and tissue distribution. Collaboration with international organisations is another new area of development.