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Download your free trial and get started on your next breakthrough today. www.perkinelmer.com/spotfi re-scientifi ccomputingworld Created By: WHM Creative Production: Sarah Pruett / 206.313.1252 Stock: TBD Job: CID3639 PerkinElmer TIBCO Spotfi re Breakthrough Print Ad Inks: CMYK - Match to PMS swatches for PMS299C, PMS 369C, Date: 12/02/13 PMS 423C, PMS 286C, PMS 144C Finish Size: 213mm x 282mm contents | LABORATORY INFORMATICS GUIDE 2014 WELCOME There is a paradox at the heart of this year’s Laboratory Informatics Guide. On the one hand, we have an article showing how technology developed for the consumer market can help drive down costs and improve efficiencies in the work of the analytical laboratory. But we also have an article lamenting how the sort of information sharing that consumers take for granted – think Flickr or Facebook – is INTEGRATED LABORATORIES 4 currently impossible in laboratory informatics. Peter Boogaard reviews efforts to make the laboratory an For very good reasons, change tends to be slow in this integrated operation discipline. No one can play with electronic systems to see how to make them more efficient or cheaper – not if those DATA INTERCHANGE 10 systems have to conform to regulations issued by the US Food and Drug Administration and counterpart bodies in Standardisation is crucial in a world where sharing is increasingly commonplace, argues John Trigg other countries. Change has to be carefully orchestrated. However, the pressure for change never goes away. Analytical laboratories, whether in discovery or quality INFORMATICS IN ACTION 14 control, have to justify their cost and demonstrate to higher Sophia Ktori canvasses the views of some key users of management that costs are being driven down. informatics systems – from laboratories to multinationals As Robert Roe’s article on page 26 demonstrates, sometimes the change comes from technologies developed in entirely ProdUct ROUnd-Up 20 different spheres for entirely different purposes. Mobile A selection of informatics products currently on the market, phones and tablet computers, developed for the consumer rounded up by Robert Roe market, are forcing informatics vendors to modify their systems to allow for the input, processing and analysis of data AnalYsis on the GO 26 through these devices. Peter Boogaard reports on the progress being made towards Robert Roe discovers how mobile phones and associated software the integrated and paperless laboratory on page 4. However, are becoming increasingly important in laboratories the lack of common standards for interchanging laboratory data is an obstacle to the further development of informatics SUppliers 30 and progress has been frustratingly slow, as John Trigg A comprehensive listing of suppliers, discusses on page 10. consultants and integrators So this year, the glass is half-full. Let us hope that by the time next year’s Laboratory Informatics Guide is published, we can report that the cup is brimming over! Tom Wilkie Editor-in-chief EDITORIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM Editor: Beth Harlen ([email protected]) Feature Writers: Robert Roe, Peter Boogaard, John Trigg, Sophia Ktori Production editor: Tim Gillett Circulation/readership enquiries: Pete Vine ([email protected]) ADVERTISING TEAM Advertising Sales Manager: Darren Ebbs ([email protected]) Tel: +44 (0) 1223 275465 Fax +44 (0) 1223 213385 Business Development Manager: Sarah Ellis-Miller ([email protected]) Tel: +44 (0) 1223 275466 Fax +44 (0) 1223 213385 Advertising Production: David Houghton ([email protected]) Tel: +44 (0)1223 275474 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 213385 CORPORATE TEAM Publishing Director: Warren Clark Chairman and Publisher: Dr Tom Wilkie Web: www.scientific-computing.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: The Laboratory Informatics Guide 2014 is published by Europa Science Ltd, which also publishes Scientific Computing World. Free registration is available to qualifying individuals (register online at www. scientific-computing.com). 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Postmaster: Send address corrections to Scientific Computing World PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. COVER: Shutterstock.com www.scientific-computing.com/lig2014 | 3 LABORATORY INFORMATICS GUIDE 2014 | Integrated laboratories JOINING UP THE LABORATORY Nixx Photography/Shutterstock Peter Boogaard reviews efforts to make the laboratory an integrated operation t is easier to get data into scientific The initial objective was to support the across the entire product lifecycle, and may databases than to get valuable laboratory manager with tools to create include external organisations such as CROs I information out of it. For years, we simple reporting capabilities to enable the and CMOs (Table 1). A different mind-set is have been spending time and money to creation of simple certificate of analysis (CoA) required to adapt to this expanded view of integrate systems and processes in the reports. These systems were initially designed the world. It is critical to first analyse who laboratory’s knowledge value chain. Many to support a single consumer, namely the these new lab-data consumers are, and get laboratory integration projects are under scientists and lab managers. In today’s world, an understanding of what their objectives pressure to deliver on their expectations, as consumers of laboratory data can be found are. Often forgotten, but as important, is defined at the kick-off of. So why is it that to investigate what their perspective is on laboratory integration is so difficult? What Stephen Covey phrased it very usability. The newcomers may be a non- are the obstacles to creating value for the nicely: ‘Seek first to understand…. technical audience! Stephen Covey phrased consumers of the laboratory data? Do we And then to be understood.’ It may it very nicely: ‘Seek first to understand…. know what these users need and how they And then to be understood.’1 It may sound would like to consume this information? sound obvious, but it still remains a obvious, but it still remains a valuable Imagine that in the music world, each valuable statement before starting statement before starting any automation label has its own proprietary music file any automation project project. ➤ format. How would you be able to share music? By default, standards make it easier to create, share, and integrate data. Do Table 1: Selected consumers of laboratory information data we know the requirements of such a data standard? What about managing metadata- Consumer Objective Impact / benefit controlled vocabularies? Data standards Patient Assure secure instant access to Better healthcare at lower cost are the rules by which data are described medical data for doctors. and recorded. In order to share, exchange, Fellow Re-use experimental data and leverage Higher efficiency and quality and understand data, we must standardise scientist learning. Higher efficiency and quality. the format (data container) as well as the Consistent meta and context data meaning (metadata/context). As of today, Legal Protect company IP Consistent externalisation processes there is no unified scientific data standard (CROs) in place to support heterogeneous and Finance Understand overall life-cycle cost of Holistic overall view multi-discipline analytical technologies. operation There have been several attempts but Customer Product complaints and product Secure branding image of company they are limited in scope, not extensible care investigations or incomplete, resulting in recurring, Regulation Faster responses to compliance Simpler mechanism to audit