Custom Software for the Genomics Industry
“Do we need a new laboratory information management system (LIMS) or can we make do with our current system?” This is a question we often hear from labs struggling to make their existing software do what they need. “Replace the LIMS” is generally not the answer labs want to hear. That’s because a new implementation can be costly and time-consuming. […]
Laboratories face frequent changes. Whether you’re implementing new workflows or updating an existing one, adding an instrument, iterating on a validated assay, or optimizing processes to keep up with market conditions or advances in technology, one thing is certain — change is inevitable. But that doesn’t make it easy. Humans naturally resist change. We prefer tasks that are comfortable and […]
Barcoding is extremely useful in a lab environment. It lets you quickly and automatically identify and track items like samples, plates, and reagents. But implementing a lab barcode system is not as simple as charging up a scanner and getting to work. To be effective, the scanning solution should be integrated with your laboratory information management system (LIMS). That means […]
A surprising number of labs today still use pen and paper to manage lab samples, analysis, and reporting. But for forward-looking labs, a laboratory information management system (LIMS) offers a way to work more effectively through standardized workflows, tests, and procedures. That was the conclusion reached by the shareholders of an environmental contract lab. Recognizing that if they continued to […]
In a 2018 article in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics (JMD), the authors — Charles Myers, Matthew Swadley, and Alexis Carter — identified key gaps in functionality in laboratory information systems (LIS) for molecular labs. To continue the conversation, we collaborated with the Cleveland Clinic’s Molecular Pathology Section lab team on a response. In our article published on the JMD […]
In clinical diagnostic laboratories, end-to-end testing of complex LIMS workflows is a critical part of the laboratory validation process. Performing these tests manually takes a Herculean effort. They’re hugely time-consuming and prone to error. Automated testing is an obvious solution, but these tests can also be expensive and take considerable time to create. That’s why we developed a reliable and […]
Once you’ve selected your laboratory information management system (LIMS), it’s time to implement it within your lab’s software environment. A critical part of this process for regulated labs is validating the LIMS and ensuring requirements traceability. In a nutshell, to meet regulatory requirements, your lab needs to be able to: Show that the software does what it was intended to […]
In my previous post, I described the complex challenges NGS Clinical Diagnostic laboratories face because of legacy software. To recap, these include limitations in usability and efficiency, higher costs than labs generally understand, the difficulties that arise when you need to replace key personnel, and the lack of specialized software expertise in internal development teams. For laboratory and technical leads […]
Laboratory and technical leads face a number of complex challenges when changes to an existing process are required. Whether they want to add new assays, tests or products, take advantage of new equipment, or scale throughput, these challenges can lead them to wonder: Are my legacy systems adequate? Can or should these legacy systems be further customized? Should we consider […]