LABORATORY INFORMATICS GUIDE 2013 | INTRODUCTION INSIDE INFORMATICS
Why understanding the functional and business requirements is an essential first step in any informatics project
T
he term ‘laboratory informatics’ has been progressively creeping into the vocabulary of lab workers over the
past decade and has come to represent the field of information technology as it is applied to a wide range of processes and operations. Typically, it addresses the convergent field of laboratory data and information systems, which includes Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs), Scientific Data Management Systems (SDMS), Laboratory Execution Systems (LES), as well as the tools used for data acquisition and data processing. There is a very good reason why the use of
a generic term such as laboratory informatics is important: we need to get away from our traditional application-centric approach to laboratory computing and think in terms of the big picture, i.e. a fully-integrated computing environment that embraces all aspects of the application of technology to lab operations and its interaction with other company systems. This has become increasingly important as the deployment of an ELN generally represents the final step in making a lab fully electronic, and hence raises the demand for interconnection between all laboratory systems. In this sense, being fully electronic and being fully integrated are two different things. For most labs, the reality is that fully
‘electronic’ corresponds to an application- centric portfolio of ‘systems’ that were not necessarily designed to work together, and for which interoperability is hampered by the lack of standards and is therefore dependent on custom solutions. What we aspire to is an ‘integrated’ laboratory that is modular, based on standards and is designed to facilitate connectivity, data sharing and collaboration. Recently, the informatics market has
experienced two interesting developments; firstly, the previously separate LIMS and ELN sub-markets have started to overlap, causing a certain amount of confusion as a consequence of our application-centric mindset. And secondly, there has been consolidation among vendors, specifically in the ELN field. So
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what do these developments mean? Do they represent something more fundamental than just functional and commercial opportunism and present some tentative steps towards addressing the integration problem? There is no distinct boundary between
laboratory automation and laboratory informatics. At one extreme, laboratory automation can be interpreted as a field of engineering and laboratory informatics as a field of information management, but both contribute to a common objective of enhancing the efficiency of laboratory processes. Overall, there has been a trend towards
convergence in the informatics market place. The consequence of convergence is somewhat confusing for potential customers since the term ELN is used in a very liberal sense. In fact, it is inherently ambiguous since the ‘electronic notebook’ is always expected to do far more than the ‘paper notebook’ and the additional functionality will be dependent on the type of laboratory in which it is deployed. Most of the confusion is related to the analytical and QA market segments where the differences between ELNs, LIMS and SDMS are becoming less clear. The following identifies the core differences: ELN Experiment-centric, an authoring tool that handles unstructured data and offers generic and specific functionality to support different scientific disciplines. Supports IP protection, knowledge re-use, productivity and collaboration. LES Procedure or experiment-centric, basically able to handle structured data and some unstructured data. Specifically designed to meet the requirements of the GxP environment. Simplifies repeated operations. Supports electronic SOPs. LIMS Sample-centric, primarily designed to handle structured data and offers sample and test management, batch operations and industry-specific workflows. Secure laboratory information hub. Supports compliance. SDMS Data-centric, handles data files from
laboratory instruments, meta-data, documents and the relationships between them. Understanding the functional and business
separate LIMS and ELNs sub-markets have started to
overlap, causing a certain amount of confusion’
‘The previously
requirements is an essential first step in any informatics project and it is easy to fall in to the trap of focusing on the solution, i.e. we need a LIMS, we need an ELN, etc., when the focus should really be on the underlying problem. Although the convergence issue in the ELN market creates some confusion, it also highlights the fact that there are a number of viable alternatives to replacing a paper lab notebook. By fully understanding the problem and identifying the functional needs of the laboratory, the solution may be found in alternative informatics applications; the challenge is to find the best overall fit for the laboratory’s workflow. One specific aspect that generally creates considerable concern during vendor assessments is the extent of the ‘fit’ of the vendor’s product to the list of functional requirements. In some cases this may lead to a dilemma about ‘buy’ or ‘build’ and furthermore, if the decision is ‘buy’, what to do about the
missing functionality. As the informatics market has matured, most products offer greater degrees of configurability in order to avoid the need to write code to address any custom requirements. This enables an organisation to purchase a commercial product and configure it in ways that meet functional and cosmetic requirements, without causing any incompatibility with the core code. Customisation, involving writing code, can in some circumstances put significant barriers in the way of future product upgrades and create high costs for maintenance and further development.l
This article is extracted from Building a Smart Laboratory 2012, a guide from the publishers of Scientific Computing World. View the entire publication online for free at
www.scientific-computing.com
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