LIMSzine
The following application article discusses some of the key technology
drivers fueling the evolution of LIMS. A bit of history is provided concerning
the current migration from in-house to commercial systems, followed by an
examination of the specific technology drivers. The points are summarized
with general predictions about what's to come.
The demands for higher sample throughput and better organization of laboratory
data gave rise to the development of Laboratory Information Management Systems
(LIMS) that could provide electronic data control, thereby expediting sample
and data processing. But once in place, the need to continuously improve
the LIMS and lab processes is driving the evolution of the next generation
LIMS. New technology is playing a major role in this transformation.
From In-House to Commercial
In the beginning, LIMS were developed in-house by organizations wishing
to streamline their data acquisition and reporting processes. In-house LIMS,
which are still being developed by many organizations, can take considerable
time and resources to implement. The need for a more immediate solution
helped drive LIMS to the next stage. During the 1970's, custom-built systems
became available. These early custom systems were one-off solutions designed
by independent systems development companies for specific laboratories.
The first commercial solutions appeared in the early 1980s and were proprietary
systems often developed by analytical instrument manufacturers. These commercial
systems still required additional customization to meet each laboratory's
needs for specific format and reporting requirements.
Several technology drivers are accelerating the functionality of commercial
LIMS, including the increase in processing speed; the increase in third-party
software capabilities; the decrease in the cost/Mbyte storage; and the reduction
in PC, workstation and minicomputer costs. These advantages have been rapidly
transferred to the laboratory and LIMS environment.
As a result, there has been a migration away from proprietary systems toward
an open systems approach. Emerging worldwide standards have also helped
fuel non-proprietary solutions. Many of today's commercial LIMS take advantage
of open systems architectures and platforms to offer client/server capabilities
and enterprise-wide access to lab information.
Technology Drivers
In addition to the events listed above, there are a number of changes taking
place in development technology that are affecting LIMS. The use of RAD
(Rapid Application Development) tools for software development and design
make it easier to add features to the LIMS, which will eventually enable
a seamless interface with other applications.
Another one of these new development tools is Object Technology, which can
influence not only how software is designed but also how users interact
with these applications. An object-oriented format enables scalar data (tests,
results, etc.) to be merged with complex data (video, etc.). Because Object
Technology can direct queries of the database in English and report specific,
unique information based on the particular query, it is one step closer
to fulfilling the concept of a "plug-and-play" LIMS.
Products that employ Object Technology, such as Oracle Web Server and Oracle
SQL*Forms, enable LIMS to directly connect instruments to the network, bypassing
the current requirement for an instrument-to-PC connection. More than a
server, Oracle Web Server offers a fully integrated platform for application
development, mass storage, and system and site management using industry
standards.
But beyond tools to design the LIMS, there are also tools to optimize the
LIMS. Indeed, one of the ways in which LIMS will be driven to the next level
is comprised of redefining what a LIMS is. The viewpoint that the LIMS is
no longer an Information Systems (IS) function but a Laboratory Workgroup
function is driving this shift in perspective. LIMS are now being considered
a strategic part of the corporate information strategy, and are thus more
likely to be considered a strategic workgroup application that utilizes
groupware. Groupware allows different people to use the same information
in different ways according to their specific needs. To realize this groupware
orientation, many companies will use state-of-the-art innovations such as
the new crop of Data Warehousing tools.
Data Warehousing tools are business intelligence tools that take data from
a variety of sources, clean it, integrate it, store it in a single repository,
and allow senior finance, business analysts, and field sales staff to access
and analyze the data to make strategic decisions. The data entering the
Data Warehouse comes from an operational database such as a LIMS. Yet while
LIMS information consists of samples, tests and results, a Data Warehouse
is organized around subjects, such as customer, vendor, product and activity.
The Data Warehouse takes the operational LIMS data and examines it against
strategic criteria. This includes both project analysis in the form of studies,
samples and results, and product analysis by lot, batch and results. Such
in-depth data manipulation and examination have not typically been handled
by the LIMS in any case, but by third-party software. Data Warehouse tools,
however, go beyond the typical spreadsheet or database tools because they
can handle complex queries, not just simple queries.
These are just a few of the tools that will help drive LIMS to the next
generation.
Young Technology
What has been lost in the shuffle is the fact that systems development is
still a young technology. It doesn't always work the way it should, nor
is it always deployed most effectively. As such, it is extremely important
that the requirements for the system be completely defined up front. This
is not always done or done well, and remains one of the greatest problem
areas in LIMS selection and implementation. The shift in viewing LIMS as
a workgroup application is partly due to a redefinition of the role of the
lab in current times, but also partly to the new tools available and partly
because of the extensive and intensive attention given to reengineering
worldwide.
Thus while the technology is young, and the arguments for and against in-house
versus commercial LIMS continue, the problem lies not so much in the technology
or the choice of system developer, as it does in defining what it is the
system should do and how to optimize the LIMS for not only the laboratory
but the corporate environment.
For instance, even after a LIMS is successfully implemented, some companies
find that infrequent use of such a complex system requires considerable
support and training. This creates a process bottleneck that can cripple
LIMS optimization. One way that companies are eliminating this issue is
to take advantage of another young technology and layer an HTML (Hyper-Text
Markup Language)user interface over the LIMS. By layering the LIMS under
an interface that is used worldwide and takes advantage of popular easy-to-use
Web browsers such as Netscape's Navigator, the learning curve is minimal
and support calls become almost nonexistent. The beauty of this type of
user interface is that anyone can use it.
Placing an HTML interface on the organization's network eliminates the need
to continually build and install new applications whenever user tasks change.
Instead, the interface itself can be quickly modified to fit any new requirements.
In addition, the available options are not dependent upon HTML, but upon
the LIMS itself. The Web browser merely makes access to the LIMS information
and features more intuitive.
Because of this, a number of commercial LIMS vendors are taking advantage
of Web technology as a delivery vehicle to offer HTML front-ends for the
laboratory computing system. The first such interface appeared at the 1995
Pittsburgh Conference when Automated Compliance Systems exhibited the interface
they put together for the City of Los Angeles. Not only can the HTML-oriented
LIMS be used internally in an Intranet configuration by the City, but certain
sample status information can also be accessible over the Internet to their
clients. Three more LIMS vendors highlighted HTML interfaces for their LIMS
at the 1996 Pittsburgh Conference: LabWare, Perkin-Elmer Nelson, and LabSystems/Thermo.
Most LIMS vendors can add this capability easily through products that incorporate
the Object Technology discussed above.
What's Next?
Advances in communications and computing technology will continue to have
a major impact on the laboratory and on LIMS. These new technologies will
dramatically affect how, where, when and by whom lab data is accessed and
acted upon. One of the strongest trends is the need to make operational
lab data available to not only others in the corporation, but to outsiders
as well. In addition, with the increased emphasis on off-shore manufacturing
will come a corresponding need to communicate data between remote locations.
These communication requirements will make compatibility with new network
technologies imperative. Innovations in mobile and wireless technology will
also revise lab functions because in-field applications or off-site report
generation can be performed wherever and whenever. The ability to take the
lab to the sample, rather than the sample to the lab could revolutionize
segments of the industry.
The catch words "time" and "money" are acquiring new
urgency as technology continues to accelerate and reallocate tasks in the
laboratory. New tools will need to support the growing emphasis on the scheduling
of time and resources, including instrument management and maintenance scheduling.
The deployment of these tools will be spurred partly by the reduction in
lab personnel and partly by the concurrent increase in sophistication of
laboratory processes. As a result, smart "expert" systems that
can handle an incredibly complex series of tasks, and make operating decisions
based upon the data received, will begin to appear in the lab.
While the Internet is promising to herald another revolution in communications,
it is only just beginning to be used as a business tool. A significant portion
of the business community already uses networks to transfer data within
the company. Because of concerns about security, however, many companies
currently forbid dialing in to the Internet. When security firewalls become
more robust and the value of information availability on the Web becomes
too critical to ignore, these edicts will be removed and Internet will become
a critical element in business and laboratory communications.
These are just a few of the exciting changes in store for the lab. The continuing
drive toward open systems and client/server architecture that can utilize
not only legacy systems but new technology; the need for a simplified, faster,
more streamlined computer system that anyone can use; and the demands for
information access, manipulation and delivery will continue to fuel the
technology fire.