Traceability

It is important to maintain traceability of the samples and associated data during transfer and to document the terms and conditions of the transfer and any key responsibilities. To ensure traceability of the samples and associated data transferred, it is often the responsibility of both the sending and receiving parties to maintain an audit trail. This should ensure that the material can be retrieved at any time. The details of how this should be undertaken can be included in this part of an MTA.

Approaches to traceability can be as simple as detailing when and where the samples and associated data were put, when they were transferred, and to whom. They might be more comprehensive, for example, the WHO Influenza Virus Traceability Mechanism which tracks relevant samples transfers around the world.