LIMSzine
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Re-engineering the Lab: From Nuclear Buildup
to Environmental Cleanup
The Difference Between LIMS and Networks
Growth and Change in the LIMS Marketplace
New Products
Growing environmental concerns as well as reduced defense needs are changing
the face of science. No longer focused on plutonium production, the Department
of Energy's (DOE) 560 square mile Hanford Site in southeastern Washington
state is the largest nuclear cleanup site in the United States. Westinghouse
Hanford Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Corp., manages
the environmental restoration of some 1377 waste units containing hazardous
or radioactive waste.
Westinghouse Hanford quickly realized that the aging in-house LIMS system
didn't have the ability to perform the required tasks. A new LIMS was necessary.
A set of functional requirements was compiled -- which included the ability
to network several labs, perform a variety of analyses, address regulatory
requirements, handle special situations such as hot cells, and provide for
a smooth expansion -- and a Request For Proposal was put out to bid. The
new system would be accessed by more than 100 users distributed in laboratories
throughout the reserve.
In August 1993, IBM Federal Systems was awarded a contract for hardware
with LIMS software supplied by Advanced Systems Management, Inc. (ASMI),
which subcontracted technical support to Computer Task Group (CTG). After
an extensive acceptance test, ASMI's MULTI LIMS software went online in
January 1994 in two laboratories. Together, the three companies delivered
the system on a compressed time schedule, allowing Westinghouse Hanford
to meet commitments made to the DOE. While the sample load is not at its
peak, it is anticipated that the new system will greatly improve reporting
in the labs, thereby expediting the cleanup process.
The Difference Between LIMS and Networks
If you've been confused about the difference between LIMS and networks,
you're not alone. While it sounds as if the LIMS is a network because it's
managing the lab data, that's not quite the case.
LIMS are a software management tool that help labs manage and control lab
information -- such as studies, samples, and sub-samples -- after acquisition,
and may or may not use a network to communicate. LIMS are just one of many
laboratory systems that can be placed on a network. Some LIMS functions
include test scheduling, worklist generation, and lab productivity reporting.
Networks are a combination of the hardware and software that enable data
communication between two or more computers. A client/server network uses
one computer as the server to handle the requirements of and share resources
between user, a.k.a. client, computers. The tasks that a client requests
and a server performs are known as network functions, which include file
transfer, remote database access, and remote program execution that enable
users to move data around the lab and have an action performed on that data
once moved.
Because networks facilitate the flow of information, LIMS can be more effective
if the information they contain is sent over a network that can distribute
it automatically. It sounds simple, and it should be, but proprietary products
developed before open systems and industry standards are why it's difficult
to get disparate equipment to communicate seamlessly. And that's a whole
'nother issue!
Growth and Change in the LIMS Marketplace
Don Schoeny, Group Marketing Manager for Hewlett-Packard,
believes that more than one issue is driving LIMS market growth. "First,
ISO 9000, GLP, GALP, and other regulatory issues that require the re-creation
of test data and data retrieval and archiving are driving the LIMS market.
Second, client/server computing has now become viable -- even IBM is looking
at the market. Client/server technology allows people to get into a LIMS
application with small capital outlay while still thinking big. Finally,
UNIX, which allows a more open structure, is catching on. Analytical labs
tend to be multi-vendor because most vendors don't make all the instruments
needed. There's an instant realization that any LIMS system can't be single
vendor or proprietary. So people tend not to select proprietary systems
that have limitations.
"The barrier between the lab and the IT [Information Technology] function
is breaking down as more people become computer-conversant. Everything is
moving toward the unified lab and tying into the corporate structure. LIMS,
like MRP and process control systems, are viewed as strategic systems. Companies
are selecting products which can serve as company-wide standards to achieve
economies of scale and minimize costs.
"PC's are much simpler to network than was the case three to five years
ago. The infrastructure is there now. We couldn't have Ferraris before the
highways were in place. For the first time ever, people can look at the
lab, think of networking it, and believe it can be done."
New Products
Beckman Instruments introduced its new LabManager C/S LIMS at the Pittsburgh
Conference. Incorporating a Windows GUI, LabManager C/S LIMS runs on the
Oracle database, can be integrated with other standard IS systems, and provides
comprehensive laboratory test, sample and data management. Beckman's new
PeakPro C/S Advanced Chromatography Data System was introduced at the same
time.
In other news, QSI Holding Corporation, the developers of WinLIMS software,
has announced the purchase of U.S.-based Harley Systems, Inc and Germany-based
Focus 9000 GmbH. Harley Systems and Focus 9000 had been the exclusive distributors
of WinLIMS since the product was first marketed in 1993. For more information,
contact QSI Corporation at (201) 670-8790.