ry Data.-Presently there is an IFCC working
group for material standards in the protein
field with contacts to IUIS, ECCLS, BCR,
NIBCS and WHO.
ICSH is the standardizing authority of the
International Society of Hematology. Their
rules and operating proeectures are printed in
'
an informative booklet together with a list of
recommendations and publications. Since
1964 ICSH has published more than 30 ana–
lytical proeectures in hematology. ICSH has
co-operated with many other organizations in
standardizing activities, e.g. on terminology,
on quality assurance, on reference values and
on instrument evaluation. ICSH has also pre–
pared material standards for B
12
in serum
which has become a British Standard and a
liver ferritin preparation which has been ap–
proved by WHO as an international standard.
IUIS, the International Union of Immuno–
logical Societies, has an education committee,
a nomendature committee in ca-operation
with WHO and a standardization committee
with 14 subcommittees. The standardization
committee arranges for the writing of specifi–
cations for material standards and for the as–
sessment of candidate material which after
approval is submitted to WHO. The current
list of immunologic standard materials ap–
proved by WHO contains 14 materials estab–
lished between 1965 and 1982. IUIS has many
other materials needing completion before
submission to WHO.
IUMS, the International Union of Micro–
biological Societies has an affiliated commis–
sion for standardization, IABS, the Interna–
tional Association for Biological Standards.
IABS arranges synmposia on standardization
ofbiologicals, but they do not write any speci–
fications for standards and they are not en–
gaged in preparing standards.
The International Academy of Pathology
has-to my knowledge-not been engaged in
standardization.
ISBT, the International Society for Blood
Transfusion, and ICTH, the International
Committe on Thrombosis and Haemostasis,
24
have both co-operated with ICSH. Otherwise
they have not been much engaged in standard–
ization.
In Europe ESCM, the European Society for
Clinical Microbiology, has become interested
in standardization. There are also other Euro–
pean Professional Organizations e.g. EFIS,
the European Federation of Immunological
Societies, the European Association of Allergy
and Clinical Immunology and ESP, the Euro–
pean Society for Pathology, but I don't know
that they have been engaged in standardiza–
tion. Only a fortnight ago there was a meeting
in Switzerland with the aim of establishing a
European Society for Blood Transfusion.
(At a lower regionallevet there may well be
multilateral co-operation between national so–
cieties butIknow only one established organi–
zation, NORDKEM, the Nordie Clinical
Chemistry Project. NORDKEM is subsidized
by the health authorities in the five Nordie
countries. NORDKEM is, however not direct–
ly engaged in standards.)
Now let us look at organizations comprising
all the clinical laboratory sciences. At the in–
ternational level there is the Commission on
World Standards which is under the World
Association of Societies of Pathology. I know
that our Council chairman was at their Con–
ference two weeks ago and he may have some
information on their activities.
THE COMMITTEES FOR CLINICAL
LABORATORY STANDARDS
At the regional level we have three CCLSs,
Committees for Clinical Laboratory Stand–
ards, NCCLS in the US, ECCLS in Europe
and JCCLS in Japan. NCCLS is the big broth–
er. Its Central Office has 13 employees who
serve the members, the various committees
and the Board. NCCLS published its first
standard in 1969 and since then about 200
standards and guidelineshave been published.
Current publications and authorized projects
in development are listed every year in a pub–
lications list.
Klinisk kemi
i
Norden
