LIMSource News: What's New January

• STARLIMS Introduces SDMS Functionalities at PITTCON 2008
• Worldwide Leader in Pharmaceutical Services Selects LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE BioBanking Solution for Its Global Laboratories
• Sapio Sciences Announces Exemplar LIMS v2
• STARLIMS Selected for $1.1 Million LIMS and SDMS Project
• Labvantage to Showcase SAPPHIRE at Pittcon
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces LIMS Installation at Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Global Commercial Products Provider Replaces Legacy LIMS with LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE in 18-Days
• Waters Opens Registration for Inform 2008, Worldwide Informatics Users Conference
• IDBS Announces E-WorkBook Suite 8.0, ActivityBase 7.0 and ActivityMart 3.0
• Thermo Scientific Introduces Momentum Process and Data Integration Software
• Cenetron Announces Implementation of STARLIMS for Global Clinical Trials
• Rotech Laboratories Chooses WinLIMS Rental
• LabVantage to Showcase Configurable Off-the-Shelf Enterprise Laboratory Informatics at LabAutomation 2008
• Leading Pharmaceutical Company Selects STARLIMS for $2.1 million Global LIMS Project
• Ocimum Biosolutions Acquires Gene Logic’s Genomics Division
• Northwest Analytical Participates in SPC for Food Safety
• World-leading Bio-banking Repository Selects STARLIMS
• ATL and Microsoft to Host LIMS Seminar
• Autoscribe Announces Compliant Sample Tracking for Regulated Industries
• Thermo Fisher Scientific to Showcase New Informatics Offerings at PITTCON 2008
• STARLIMS Asia Pacific Inaugurates New Facilities
• PerkinElmer Introduces WIZARD2 Automatic Gamma Counter with Advanced Ease-of-Use Features
• Autoscribe's Matrix Chosen by Leading Pharmaceutical Company
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Major Laboratory Informatics Symposium in India
• STARLIMS Announces $1 Million Contract with Pharmaceutical Division of Fortune 500 Company
• Invetech to Demonstrate its Contract Development Solutions at LabAutomation 2008
• Pittcon 2008 Offers Biofuel Symposium
• STARLIMS Announces Follow-On Contract with Leading Clinical Research Organization
• Labtronics Announces New LimsLink CDS Release Combines Four Advanced CDS Interfaces in One Solution
• Labtronics Releases Automated Worksheet Management for LimsLink 4.1
• Ventana Medical Systems Licenses BioPathwise DM for Multispectral Image Data Management
• Study Examines Media Preferences of Life Scientists in Applied Markets
• ABB's Collaborative Production Management Solution Recognized for Helping Cement Industry Customers Reduce Energy Costs and Consumption
• ABB Wins $25-million Order for Vietnamese Cement Project
• ABB Tops Process Automation System Market Share Worldwide
• ABB’s MPC based Expert Optimizer Successfully Installed at Buzzi’s Signal Mountain Plant
• Congressional Appropriations Subcommittee Denounces FDA
• AAPS and FDA Announce Signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
• NIH Collaborates with EPA to Improve the Safety Testing of Chemicals
• CDER Slated for 283 New Staff in Proposed Fiscal 2009 Budget
• Lawmakers Push for Biosimilar Legislation in New Healthcare Initiative
• President’s Request Would Give FDA $2.4 Billion in Fiscal 2009
• FDA Posts Comments on Bioequivalence Guidelines Online
• EC Launches Unannounced Inspections in Pharmaceutical Sector
• Senator Brown Requests Look at FDA Fast Track Designation
• U.S. Planning to Set Up FDA Office in India
• Patni Acquires Life Sciences Services Company Taratec for $27 million

Thermo Fisher Scientific Publishes New Poster from Lab Automation 2008 Purpose-Built LIMS for Life Sciences and High Throughput Screening Laboratories

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has announced the availability of a new technical poster demonstrating the importance of configurability and flexibility in laboratory information management systems (LIMS) design for life sciences and high throughput screening applications. T he poster was originally presented at the Lab Automation 2008 conference in Palm Springs, CA and is entitled The New Age of Configurability and Flexibility in LIMS Design for Life Sciences and High Throughput Screening. The authors are senior technical and development managers at Thermo Fisher Scientific with decades of experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology laboratories. They highlight the need for plate handling functionality to be built into the core LIMS solution for high throughput screening (HTS) environments. The poster is ideal reading for life scientists in the biotechnology and drug discovery industries. With the increasing workload in high-throughput laboratories, biotechnology companies require user-friendly LIMS that contain plate handling functionality out-of-the-box, while remaining flexible in how the system can be easily configured and extended to meet their needs. With built-in plate handling functionality utilizing a service oriented architecture in .NET, Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS enables organizations to keep pace with changing laboratory techniques, automate processes and manage increasing data volumes. The result is that scientists and organizations are able to give rise to discoveries, make decisions and run tests faster than ever before. Plate handling and automation have become increasingly important in biotechnology organizations where automation and high throughput needs demand that workflows account for the manipulation of samples in a wide variety of plate formats and configurations. These laboratories seek a robust LIMS that can execute and integrate common plate handling operations including replication, splitting, probing, compression, pooling and cherry picking. A plate design utility can greatly simply the administration by enabling variable dimensions, well labeling, common and user-defined fill patterns, specific well configurations and additional attributes and metadata. Adding to the complexity, automated processes generally involve groups of plates. The authors demonstrate how Nautilus LIMS provides the ability to graphically program and emulate dynamic work processes involving groups of plates, organize workflow activity into steps, execute actions on groups of plates at each step in process and dynamically define and assign transition at each step. With trends leaning towards increasing data volumes, high throughput environments require information management systems that allow data from automated workflows and processes to be modeled and integrated easily. To meet this need, these laboratories seek a full-featured LIMS with an inherent configurable utility that allows for communication with other applications and enable effortless integration of instruments and robotic equipment. The system should be able to acquire data from all types of instrumentation, including serial ports and networked instruments while also applying specifications and logic to make dynamic decisions based on collected data. Most biotechnology labs also require the LIMS to integrate older ASCII and CSV file transfers as well as modern XML schemes and service-oriented architectures. The new technical poster is available free-of-charge via
http://www.thermo.com/eThermo/CMA/PDFs/Product/productPDF_4365.pdf.

Labtronics' LimsLink CDS Selected for Integration with LIMS at Chinese Manufacturing Facility

Labtronics has announced that an international manufacturer of industrial chemicals has selected LimsLink CDS to manage the transfer of data between ChemStation and SampleManager LIMS at their manufacturing facility in China. The decision to select LimsLink CDS was based largely on the ChemStation configurable interface that simplifies creation of the interface with any LIMS, without requiring programming. Interfaces are defined using a series of check boxes and drop down menus that match the parameters of ChemStation. All of the setup screens use the terminology and have the same look and feel as ChemStation CDS, creating a familiar and comfortable environment for implementing and maintaining the interfaces. The first interface has been implemented with the assistance of Labtronics' Professional Services Group who also provided on-site training at the Chinese facility in the configuration of new methods. This training will allow local personnel to support their interfaces and add new interfacing methods as their needs change.. For details, visit http://www.labtronics.com.

STARLIMS Introduces SDMS Functionalities at PITTCON 2008

STARLIMS Technologies Ltd. will introduce a new SDMS module (Scientific Data Management System) at PITTCON 2008 (Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, March 3-6). Integrated into the Company’s web-based LIMS, this integrated module creates a comprehensive platform to manage scientific and laboratory information—consolidating data and documents from the full gamut of laboratory processes. The STARLIMS solution is unique in that it integrates LIMS data and SDMS documents into a single web-based platform. Much of the data created in science-centric organizations is unstructured and not typically managed in a consistent fashion, making it difficult to implement systematic procedures necessary to ensure regulatory and legal compliance. The STARLIMS SDMS module enables organizations to capture, parse, search, manage, share and archive scientific documents. Such documents may include research reports, spreadsheets, product specifications, instrument output files and more. The information extracted from these documents is stored in STARLIMS’s unified platform, and managed with the same control as structured LIMS data has been. In addition, the documents are archived and managed in the same platform as the LIMS data, enabling unified searches and eliminating the inefficiencies of multiple data repositories. "The release of STARLIMS SDMS is a crucial step forward in our vision of unifying laboratory, scientific and enterprise information,” said Itschak Friedman, CEO of STARLIMS. “In addition to its obvious streamlining of laboratory informatics, it stands to make a significant contribution to information sharing—and enterprise-wide collaboration." What makes the parsing approach of the STARLIMS SDMS unique is its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically extract content from unstructured documents and store it in a structured environment, together with the relevant metadata tags. This process transforms unstructured data into an XML format that is both standardized and highly accessible. STARLIMS SDMS uses the most recent parsing routine to automatically parse information from any document, even an unidentified document. Any inaccuracies are later adjusted with simple drag-and-drop manipulations and the corrections are integrated into the algorithm in an automatic self-correcting mechanism. The result is a highly effective way of processing any type of document: the laborious task of producing parsing scripts becomes trivial; users need not learn complex parsing applications; and processing times are dramatically accelerated. For details, visit http://www.STARLIMS.com.

Worldwide Leader in Pharmaceutical Services Selects LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE BioBanking Solution for Its Global Laboratories

LabVantage has announced that one of the world's largest contract research organizations (CROs) has licensed LabVantage's SAPPHIRE BioBanking Solution. The company plans to initially implement SAPPHIRE for eight of its global laboratories and expects to roll it out to more laboratories over time. As a global CRO, the company provides clinical product development services and consulting on product safety and value. Its global central laboratories support all phases of clinical trials with a centralized network of laboratories across all of the major international markets. This global CRO's requirements for biospecimen management were involved and unique given its network of global central laboratories. They mandated that the solution not only effectively receive, store, route, and ship both frozen and ambient specimens, but it must also seamlessly monitor and exchange process information with its existing, centralized customer business relationship management system. Additionally, the complexity of managing biospecimens is compounded by its need to track and bill for services rendered. The company's decision to partner with LabVantage was based on a number of key factors, most notably the comprehensive functionality in the SAPPHIRE BioBanking solution and LabVantage’s proven track record of implementing, deploying, and interfacing SAPPHIRE across a global network. The company intends to deploy its biospecimen management system as a central application server and single database solution residing within its data center. It will leverage SAPPHIRE's multinationalization capabilities to power multi-site, multi-language access by its employees, partners, and customers around the globe. As they invest in systems and processes to support its expanding global specimen management needs, SAPPHIRE takes them beyond a typical Web-based solution with SAPPHIRE's zero footprint, thin-client architecture that dramatically lowers software maintenance requirements and reduces total cost of ownership. For details, visit http://www.labvantage.com.

Sapio Sciences Announces Exemplar LIMS v2

Sapio Sciences has announced the immediate availability of Exemplar LIMS v2. Key additions in this release include: The Workflow Manager, which enables easy creation of complex workflows in minutes to track any
laboratory procedure and enforce data collection at key points in any protocol. Advanced Plug-In Architecture that makes extending Exemplar straightforward leading to rapid integration with existing applications and equipment/robotics. Enhancement of Data Management capabilities to allow for easy creation of point and click export criteria of Biomarker data for analysis by third party tools. LIMS customization wizard that allows for the creation of forms and fields in minutes and with no programming and complete backward compatibility. New reports including storage unit report showing detailed inventory for freezers/boxes/drawers, etc. and system object inventory reporting. Document management capability where any type of document such as Word docs (e.g. consent forms), Spreadsheets, Image files etc. can be loaded into the LIMS and associated with LIMS Objects like samples, aliquots, clinical subjects, experiments, etc. "This new release significantly extends the capabilities of Exemplar LIMS and solidifies it as a complete solution to any laboratories sample/protocol/data tracking needs,” says Kevin Cramer, VP of Sales and Marketing at Sapio. "Our development team has done an excellent job of continuing our thesis of developing key features that are major advancements in our product, yet maintaining our ease of use and continuing to lower the total cost of ownership of Exemplar LIMS.” Sapio Sciences Exemplar LIMS v2 is available immediately. For details, visit http://www.SapioSciences.com.

STARLIMS Selected for $1.1 Million LIMS and SDMS Project

STARLIMS Technologies Ltd. has been selected by a global biopharmaceutical company based in the United States for a $1.1 million project. The project will include both STARLIMS v10 and the integrated scientific document management system, or SDMS, a module recently released by STARLIMS. Integrating the customer’s information into a single platform is expected to minimize instances of duplicate searches, increase data availability, and facilitate information sharing across the organization. The fully web-based platform will be deployed in several labs involved in disciplines ranging from bio-analytical science to molecular biology. These labs perform tests in support of commercial product releases, stability studies to establish product shelf life, and raw material quality-testing. "With the release of STARLIMS SDMS, we have made an important step forward in our vision of unifying laboratory, scientific and enterprise information. We believe that this integrated LIMS and SDMS offering is particularly relevant to the life science sector, with its long and complex product development cycles," said Jeff Ferguson, COO at STARLIMS. As a biopharmaceutical company operating in the United States, the customer needs iron-clad compliance with the strict standards outlined in FDA 21 CFR Part 11. Features built into the core of the STARLIMS v10 platform ensure such compliance, providing complete traceability together with process versatility. STARLIMS makes it possible to produce a completely auditable track record of all laboratory resources taking part in any specific analysis. The STARLIMS solution is unique in that it integrates LIMS and SDMS functionality into a single web-based platform. Much of the data created in science-centric organizations is unstructured and not typically managed in a consistent fashion, making it difficult to implement systematic procedures necessary to ensure regulatory and legal compliance. The STARLIMS SDMS module enables organizations to capture, parse, search, manage, share and archive scientific documents (research reports, spreadsheets, product specifications, instrument output files, etc.). The information extracted from these documents is stored together with laboratory data in STARLIMS’s unified platform, minimizing the inefficiencies of multiple data repositories. For details, visit http://www.starlims.com.

Labvantage to Showcase SAPPHIRE at Pittcon

Labvantage will be exhibiting and presenting at the upcoming Pittcon 2008, New Orleans, LA, March 3–6.
LabVantage will be at booth #5555 showcasing the SAPPHIRE Laboratory Information Management Suite, a zero footprint and configurable off-the-shelf (COTS) solution consolidating functionality typically found in multiple laboratory systems. With its combination of solutions-oriented modules and multinationalization support, LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE delivers a complete and versatile, multi-site, and multi-language enterprise backbone for laboratory informatics. Demonstrations of the SAPPHIRE laboratory information management suite will be ongoing. Featured SAPPHIRE Module demonstrations include: A new SAPPHIRE Reagents and Standards Management Module; Enhanced Stability & Shelf-Life Analyses Module: Advanced Storage and Logistics (ASL) Module; Corrective Action & Preventive Action (CAPA) Module; and BioBanking Module. Additionally, SAPPHIRE Advanced Reporting & Analytics will be on display. The presentation will highlight the fundamentals, technology and value proposition of the configurable off the shelf enterprise laboratory informatics solution. For details, visit http://www.labvantage.com.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces LIMS Installation at Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has announced that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the lead federal department responsible for Canada's fisheries resource, oceans and inland waters, will install its purpose-built Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS. After a five-year phased roll-out, more than 150 users operating out of 12
different laboratories located in seven facilities across Canada will take advantage of the Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS. The volume of data managed by the LIMS will vary from program to program, but will initially
reach more than 100,000 discrete samples yearly, and this is expected to increase at a rate of approximately 25,000 samples per year. DFO will use the Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS to facilitate its ongoing commitment to the research, development and understanding of Canada's three oceans, freshwaters and coastlines. Specifically, DFO will provide diagnostic services, test method development, regulatory research and expert scientific advice in collaboration with the Canadian Food inspection Agency. DFO will implement the LIMS for use in Science Sector laboratories across Canada, focusing initially on the National Aquatic Animal Health Program (NAAHP). "What an outstanding opportunity for Thermo Fisher Scientific to partner and work hand in hand with the Canadian government, in particular Fisheries and Oceans Canada, on their unique operations worldwide", says Greg Huelbig, strategic sales executive for Thermo Fisher Scientific. "The installation of Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS will greatly add to DFO's efficiencies and help them do their many tasks with more confidence and reliability." DFO plays a leading role in managing and safeguarding oceans and inland waters and their resources for Canadians. Science provides an essential basis for the sound management of fisheries and oceans resources. Research activities fall under a wide range of topics, including: marine environment and habitat, oceanography, productivity, stock assessment, hydrography and aquaculture. For details, visit http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca or http://www.thermo.com/informatics.

Global Commercial Products Provider Replaces Legacy LIMS with LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE in 18-Days

LabVantage has announced that its SAPPHIRE LIMS has been licensed by a leading global provider of commercial cleaning and hygiene products and solutions. The company serves the food and beverage industry and other institutional and industrial end-users such building service contractors, retail outlets and healthcare
facilities. The company sought a configurable-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that could replace its antiquated home grown LIMS application for two of its quality control laboratories with out-of-the-box functionality that its team of system administers could rapidly configure and deploy. Using the SAPPHIRE Evergreen Web
Page Designer, the company and LabVantage configured, tested, and placed SAPPHIRE into live production within a mere 18-day period. "The entire process was managed professionally and went without a hitch," stated the company’s Quality Assurance Manager. "The LabVantage team’s expertise and ability to think outside the box were critical to the success of the project. Because of their efforts, I know our organization will continue to build on the SAPPHIRE LIMS platform and plans have already been initiated to move SAPPHIRE LIMS globally." The global rollout will leverage SAPPHIRE’s multinationalization features, including language translation, and its zero footprint, thin-client architecture for easy, secure access to all user functionality. The
company also leveraged the SAPPHIRE out-of-the-box functionality to configure and automate a new a
raw materials skip-lot testing process for its LIMS. In addition, the company has also licensed and is deploying the SAPPHIRE CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action) Module. The CAPA Module is a seamless extension of SAPPHIRE and provides complete functionality for monitoring planned and unplanned incidents, performing root cause analysis, and implementing risk mitigation procedures. SAPPHIRE’s CAPA Module ensures a responsive laboratory environment, facilitating the delivery of quality products. For details, visit http://www. labvantage.com.

Waters Opens Registration for Inform 2008, Worldwide Informatics Users Conference

Waters Corporation has opened registration for Inform 2008, its worldwide informatics users conference to be held April 21-24, 2008 at the Fairmont Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. The conference is open to scientists and IT professionals interested in learning about strategies for efficient scientific data management and for maximizing workplace productivity. Keynoting the conference will be Prof. Keith Campbell of the University of Nottingham School of Biosciences who together with colleague Ian Wilmut earned international acclaim in 1996 for cloning the world's first animal, a sheep they named "Dolly", while both worked at the Roslin Institute. The conference will also feature best-practice presentations from many leading organizations including GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Eli Lilly. Also, educational sessions on Waters Empower Chromatography Software will be offered in English, French and German. At the conference, Waters will announce the winner of the 2nd annual Pioneer Award recognizing organizational excellence in the implementation of laboratory or enterprise data management programs. Last year's winner was the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota for its novel implementation of a NuGenesis SDMS system. Other contributing sponsors of Inform 2008 include Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation and IBM. Attendees who register before February 15 can receive a 20% discount on the cost of registration. For more information on Inform 2008 and to take advantage of the early registration discount, visit http://www.inform2008.com.

IDBS Announces E-WorkBook Suite 8.0, ActivityBase 7.0 and ActivityMart 3.0

IDBS has announced the upcoming releases of E-WorkBook Suite 8.0, ActivityBase 7.0 and ActivityMart 3.0. The forthcoming releases are to be delivered in early 2008 as part of IDBS' continued commitment to developing and integrating its industry-leading product suites. ActivityBase is IDBS' flagship product and since its inception has become the industry-standard screening solution, employed by over 75% of the world's leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Enhancements to ActivityBase 7.0 include simplified plate creation, time savings in results processing and report generation and support for chemical tautomer searching. Following the success of the ActivityBase Suite, IDBS launched its comprehensive electronic laboratory notebook (ELN), the E-WorkBook Suite, in 2005. The imminent release of E-WorkBook 8.0 will deliver major enhancements in searching and reporting and increased support for chemistry. ActivityMart drives the decision-making process by providing rapid and intuitive access to complex research data. Integrating data from ActivityBase and BioBook, ActivityMart 3.0 further simplifies the searching of results data by presenting it in an intuitive business context. This solution consolidates the high value summary test data stored in various LIMS, ActivityBase and BioBook databases, retaining rich contextual data. ActivityMart provides a rapid querying tool and is vital when searching high volumes of data. Neil Kipling, founder and CEO of IDBS, commented: "We are currently doing a lot of ongoing work to improve the integration capabilities of our solutions and our aim for 2008 is to continue to deliver revolutionary products and services to the marketplace. Research organizations need an adequate means of managing their data to meet increasing regulatory requirements. Informatics providers must continue to improve their systems to deal with the magnitude of data generated. The importance of having an integrated framework cannot be under-estimated."For details, visit http://www.idbs.com.

Thermo Scientific Introduces Momentum Process and Data Integration Software

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has announced the introduction of its revolutionary Momentum workflow software for laboratory applications. Momentum lets users define, execute and monitor complex processes in a powerful yet easy-to-use visual environment. As an intelligent solution, the software enables multiple workflows via real-time, data-driven decision-making; eliminating the need for customized data handling. Its open topology editor allows the user to specify the design, configuration and operation of their individual system and plug-in different schedulers to support a broad range of processes and workflows. Users can also manage multiple islands of automation, treating them as part of a larger connected system. Initially Momentum will be made available to drug discovery and development labs as the solution is well suited for numerous automation applications including hit picking & inventory management, HTS/HCS screening, automated cell/tissue culture applications, and laboratory workflow management, among many others. The software's topology editor is so remarkably flexible that the solution can empower a wide variety of applications including analysis, measurement and control. The composite user interface is built on a .NET platform for easy configuration and customization. This state-of-the-art software presents data from a variety of instruments in a standardized format for consistent storage in the SQL database. Momentum also provides full audit trails and detailed error logging for process traceability. Dynamic rescheduling and innovative instrument pooling accommodates workflow changes, instrument hot-swapping and more. Momentum is compatible with any combination of instruments and plate movers, independent of vendor. Its ability to integrate and monitor automated, manual and delocalized systems facilitates the easy incorporation of new or upgraded technology or processes, ensuring exceptional operational longevity. For details, visit http://www.thermo.com.

Cenetron Announces Implementation of STARLIMS for Global Clinical Trials

Cenetron Diagnostics, Ltd., a leading Central Laboratory that specializes in molecular diagnostics, has announced that it has implemented the latest version of the STARLIMS Laboratory Information Management System for global clinical trials. STARLIMS serves as an enterprise-wide system to build and track clinical trial collection kits, manage and track specimens, manage laboratory testing workflows, create user-defined laboratory reports and manage study-specific databases. The advanced security, data integrity, and audit trail capabilities of STARLIMS enable Cenetron to meet the stringent requirements of its pharmaceutical clients--for timely reports, for data transfers of absolute quality and accuracy, and for full compliance with FDA 21CFR part 11 guidelines. "The implementation of STARLIMS is an important milestone in Cenetron's history," said Dwight DuBois, MD, Cenetron's President. "We are able to meet and exceed FDA and sponsor requirements with enormous flexibility. STARLIMS is able to handle complex data sets generated from molecular testing with traceability, accuracy, and clarity. STARLIMS' scalability and versatility are also important, allowing us to add functionalities as our business grows. Our team is currently completing testing of another module that allows the storage, retrieval, and analysis of DNA sequencing data." "A leading provider of central laboratory services for clinical trials and other pharmaceutical applications, Cenetron is clearly committed to innovation in every aspect of lab automation, and STARLIMS has been part of that strategy. We are delighted to see that our long-term collaboration has brought important benefits to Cenetron: full regulatory compliance, streamlining of lab process, and integration with a wide range of processes," said Ed Krasovec, Director of Clinical Operations at STARLIMS. "A series of other important players in the clinical space are implementing our solutions, and our presence in clinical trial, health care, and public health labs is growing at a tremendous rate. In large part, this reflects the success of STARLIMS V10--an entirely web-based LIMS that offers powerful out-of-the-box capabilities for regulatory compliance; an unparalleled suite of tools and wizards specifically designed for clinical trial processes; and universal access to data via standard browsers." For details, visit http://www.cenetron.com or http://www.starlims.com.

Rotech Laboratories Chooses WinLIMS Rental

Rotech Laboratories, a metallurgical testing and consultancy services operation, is the latest company to take advantage of WinLIMS Rental from QSI. Part of the Rubery Owen group, their laboratories provide a diverse range of testing services including metallurgy, chemical analysis including ICP, mechanical failure analysis, corrosion and surface finish testing and non-destructive testing, and offer a 24-hour turnaround on urgent samples. Rotech Laboratories have UKAS ISO 17025 accreditation and also complies with Rolls Royce requirements. A standard WinLIMS “out of the box” rental package will handle internal and external reporting, and is expected to lead to greater efficiency and accuracy within the operation and improved customer service levels. QSI Managing director Clive Collier commented: “The availability of software on a rental basis has dramatically reduced the cost to the larger laboratory of acquiring a LIMS, and revolutionised access to the technology for smaller ones. According to one estimate, there are 14-15,000 laboratories of all kinds in the UK, of which only 20% have a LIMS installed, so there are many laboratories out there that could enjoy the benefits of a LIMS. Rotech Laboratories’ choice of WinLIMS Rental shows that a really comprehensive “out-of-the-box” LIMS package can fully meet the needs of a multi-disciplined contract laboratory, and very cost-effectively too.” For details, visit http://www.qsiuk.com.

LabVantage to Showcase Configurable Off-the-Shelf Enterprise Laboratory Informatics at LabAutomation 2008

LabVantage will be exhibiting and presenting in the LabAutomation Informatics Track – 4 at the upcoming LabAutomation 2008, Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, CA, January 27-29. LabVantage will be at booth #390 showcasing the SAPPHIRE laboratory information management Suite, a zero footprint and configurable off-the-shelf (COTS) solution consolidating functionality typically found in multiple laboratory systems. With its combination of solutions-oriented modules and multinationalization support, LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE delivers a complete and versatile, multi-site, and multi-language enterprise backbone for laboratory informatics. Featured at the booth will be ongoing demonstrations of the SAPPHIRE Suite as well as several key module demonstrations including: NEW! SAPPHIRE Reagents and Standards Management module - providing a complete solution for the management, maintenance, and tracking of laboratory consumables.
SAPPHIRE Biobanking module - delivering a comprehensive and centralized, “Cradle-to-Grave” solution for managing a complex biospecimen repository. In addition, LabVantage will be presenting on Monday, January 28th at 12:00 pm, LabAutomation Informatics - Track 4:For details, visit http://www.labvantage.com.

Leading Pharmaceutical Company Selects STARLIMS for $2.1 million Global LIMS Project

STARLIMS Technologies Ltd., a leading provider of LIMS, has been selected by one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies for a $2.1 million LIMS project. STARLIMS v10 will be implemented in the pharmaceutical company’s Research and Development and Quality Assurance laboratories in North America, Europe and Asia. "Being selected by one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies is clearly a vote of confidence in our vision of creating a single web-based platform for laboratory informatics, covering multiple lab disciplines and reaching across the globe,” said Jeff Ferguson COO at STARLIMS. “We are seeing more companies standardizing their LIMS solutions across the enterprise and we believe STARLIMS v10 is well positioned to meet this demand.” Implementing STARLIMS will facilitate the sharing of scientific data and best practices across multiple laboratory sites. The pharmaceutical customer intends to standardize on STARLIMS, beginning with eight sites. One of the key considerations the customer had in selecting STARLIMS was its scalability, a benefit of its entirely web-based architecture. In addition, STARLIMS offers multilingual and multi-time zone support, important considerations for distributed LIMS implementations. By standardizing on STARLIMS, the company is expected to enhance regulatory compliance and traceability, by facilitating more consistent reporting and enhancing data security. The web based STARLIMS v10 system will simplify deployment, validation, scale up and upgrade of the system while reducing resource requirements for ongoing maintenance. For details, visit http://www.starlims.com.

Ocimum Biosolutions Acquires Gene Logic’s Genomics Division

Ocimum Biosolutions (Ocimum) has announced that it has successfully closed the acquisition of the genomics division of Gene Logic and will retain the Gene Logic name and continue to service customers from Gaithersburg. Commenting on the new partnership, Anuradha Acharya, CEO of Ocimum, said, “We were looking for a partner that apart from providing growth capital and acquisition financing has a similar footprint as ours and can understand our business and our global customer service and delivery model. Kubera’s track record and their ability to add value in a cross-border sense uniquely qualifies them to help with businesses such as ours.” She further added, “With the acquisition of Gene Logic’s Genomics business, we now offer the largest portfolio of integrated genomic solutions, which further strengthens our unique positioning in this space. We aim to be the number one genomics outsourcing company in the world. We will leverage our global positioning and Gene Logic’s branding and scientific leadership in toxicogenomics, pharmacogenomics and clinical genomics to become a partner of choice for our customers.” Ramanan Raghavendran, Managing Partner at Kubera Partners, LLC said, “We believe genomics outsourcing is at the cusp of significant growth, given the demands on the drug discovery function for labs around the world. Ocimum is well positioned to capture this opportunity because of its leadership in genomics, deep technology knowledge and experience, global delivery capability and above all its world-class scientific talent and management team.” Shiraz Bugwadia, Director at o3 Capital Advisors, added, “Ocimum, with this Series B investment from Kubera Partners is well on path to become a USD 100 million company by 2011 and a world leader in genomics outsourcing.” For details, visit http://www.ocimumbio.com.

Northwest Analytical Participates in SPC for Food Safety

From ground beef to spinach, the food industry has seen the huge downside of supply chain safety and quality failures. One proven way to reduce safety risks is to use SPC (statistical process control) to improve supply chain performance. Since 2003, the USDA National School Lunch Program ground beef purchasing has demonstrated the success of SPC-based supply chain management. The program has improved both quality and safety to show the way to get the food safety job done right. The program, “Improving Food Safety in the Food Supply Chain” from the Feast or Famine TV series, includes the people who made it happen including Barry Carpenter, Executive Director, National Meat Association, Dr. Kenneth Clayton, Associate Administrator, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and Steve Olson, Livestock and Meat Marketing Specialist, USDA AMS. The program was filmed on location at Cherry Meat Packers in Chicago. Northwest Analytical participated in the production and offers clips from the program and a free Building a Better Burger DVD at http://www.nwasoft.com/appnotes/feastfamine.htm.

World-leading Bio-banking Repository Selects STARLIMS

STARLIMS Technologies Ltd. a leading provider of LIMS, has announced that its STARLIMS Version 10 software was selected in September 2007 by Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR). The entirely web-based STARLIMS system will enable hundreds of research sites to obtain bio-banking data in real time, using a standard web browser. RUCDR is the largest university-based cell and DNA repository in the world. RUCDR has been designated as the Center for Collaborative Genetic Studies for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Genetics Repository for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the Center for Genetic Studies for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Cell Repository for the Collaborative on the Genetics of Alcoholism funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). In addition, RUCDR collaborates with many other federal, state and private research organizations, serving over 500 research sites worldwide. “RUCDR has consistently been at the frontier of new technologies, and leveraging the web to facilitate remote collaboration in the research community is an enormous step forward in the bio-banking sector,” said Jeff Ferguson, COO of STARLIMS. STARLIMS solutions for bio-sample repositories automate molecular based testing workflows, streamlining sample tracking and management. At the same time, STARLIMS puts lab information resources on a single globally accessible web platform. Bio-repositories such as RUCDR can give authorized researchers real-time data access to a searchable database of annotated specimen information, maximizing the value of the stored samples. “RUCDR experienced a ten-fold increase in sample acquisition in the years 1998-2004, and has continued growing steadily since then. To grow at such rates, while continuing to provide the highest levels of sample quality, technical consultation and logistical support, we must consistently choose the most advanced technologies,” said Dr. Jay A Tischfield, Scientific Director of RUCDR. “Implementing STARLIMS’s web-based software is part of our long-term vision of providing timely information to all our project sites, and doing everything in our power to promote collaboration in the research community.” For details, visit http://www.rucdr.org/index.html or http://www.starlims.com.

ATL and Microsoft to Host LIMS Seminar

Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc. (ATL) and Microsoft have announced that on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 they will be hosting a free, educational seminar which focuses on why a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is the key to streamlining laboratory operations and staying compliant. The event will take place at the Microsoft facility in Bellevue, Washington located just outside of Seattle. The seminar is a lunch event that will explore the current challenges that are faced in the modern laboratory and demonstrate how organizations are automating operations to increase productivity and data quality while reducing operational costs. This seminar is ideal for Laboratory Operations or QA/QC Managers in the following industries: water/wastewater, environmental (air/water/soil), agriculture, chemical, food & beverage, life sciences and government (public health). Lunch will be provided. For details and to register, visit http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=123680.

Autoscribe Announces Compliant Sample Tracking for Regulated Industries

Autoscribe has announced Sample Tracker, a fully configurable, simple to install, easy to use, affordable concept in laboratory sample management. Sample Tracker is the right application for laboratory managers or supervisors, who want better visibility of their laboratory or pilot plant operations but do not want to implement a full LIMS. However, if the need to upgrade does arise there is a simple upgrade path to the Matrix Gemini LIMS family without loss of your investment in Sample Tracker. Sample Tracker tracks, records and reports the progress of samples and work through a laboratory or process. It can track process steps as well as analytical and physical tests. A “Chain of Custody” is maintained and can be reported for each sample. Comprehensive version control and auditing is available as standard. Sample Tracker is frequently implemented with barcode printers and scanners to enter sample identity and location information. This speeds data input and reduces errors by eliminating typing mistakes. Each freezer, refrigerator and storage cabinet can be labelled with barcodes down to each shelf and the exact location for each sample or box of samples can be stored. The sample inventory report may be printed showing the status and last entered location for each sample. As each test or process step is completed, information may be entered and recorded as to what batch or lot of reagent and supplies were used with that sample. This greatly assists in investigating process issues. Sample Tracker is supplied with a standard suite of functional reports including Worksheets, Work Pending, Sample Status and Audit Trail. Any laboratory system should comply with GLP (Good Laboratory Practice), and Sample Tracker is no exception. Any changes to data are recorded along with the date and time of the change and identity of the user who made the change. All such historical data may be reported as required. For details,visit http://www.autoscribe.co.uk.

Thermo Fisher Scientific to Showcase New Informatics Offerings at PITTCON 2008

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will showcase its new informatics offerings on booth #1741 at PITTCON 2008 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1-7. Under the theme "Moving Science Forward", the company will demonstrate a range of innovative analytical instruments, software and laboratory workflow solutions marketed under its Thermo Scientific brand. The Thermo Scientific informatics exhibit at PITTCON 2008 will feature Darwin 3.0, the latest version of the innovative Laboratory Information
Management System (LIMS), which is purpose-built for pharmaceutical manufacturing R&D and QA/QC laboratories. The added functionality in Darwin 3.0 demonstrates the company's ability to offer one of the most
comprehensive LIMS for this industry, which can be tailored to a laboratory's specific workflow. Also on display will be a "sneak preview" of a next-generation Thermo Scientific Chromatography Data System (CDS), which integrates with LIMS and other data management systems to control LC/GC instruments and modules from numerous vendors in a manner that enables compliance with FDA regulations, including 21 CFR Part 11. Visitors who are interested in seeing the preview of this new database-driven CDS will also be entered to win a TomTom GPS navigation system if they submit a form to the Informatics staff on booth. In addition, attendees can see demonstrations of the entire portfolio of Thermo Scientific informatics products: SampleManager LIMS, the flagship offering for industrial applications; Watson LIMS, the industry standard for bioanalytical laboratories; Galileo LIMS, which enables high-throughput compound screening for in-vitro ADME screening; and Nautilus LIMS, for dynamic environments requiring a flexible solution that can be easily modified as workflow requirements change, typical in research and contract organizations. Visitors to booth #1741 will also have the unique opportunity to see the company's food safety laboratory showcase. Here you can see how LIMS and CDS software are integrated in a comprehensive workflow environment with other Thermo Scientific solutions such as Atlas CDS and the Thermo Scientific Accela high-speed liquid chromatography system. For details, visit http://www.thermo.com/informatics.

STARLIMS Asia Pacific Inaugurates New Facilities

In late 2007 STARLIMS celebrated the official inauguration of its newly renovated facilities at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, underscoring the company's commitment to the Asia Pacific region. The expansive office was designed to support the company's growing operations in the Asia Pacific region. Since 2002, STARLIMS Asia Pacific has been providing marketing, sales and technical support for Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the Gulf States. A team of 70 professionals, including staff members and consultants, is available for pre-sales and post-sales support.
Together with its partners, STARLIMS Asia Pacific's dedicated professional team has implemented STARLIMS solutions for Beijing Food Safety Center for 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Institute for Drug Control, Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical Company Limited, Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, Chinese Customs, Qatar Gas, Qatar Agriculture, Hong Kong Government Labs - DNA Database Section, Thailand Central Institute for Forensic Sciences, Taipei County Police - DNA Labs, Singapore Health Sciences Authority and Malaysia Ministry of Health, to name a few. "We are very pleased with the headway we have made in the last few years, and we fully intend to continue growing at least as quickly," said Linus Chu, General Manager of STARLIMS Asia Pacific. "To support this ambitious goal, we of course need the best human resources available, and I believe that we have made important progress in bringing together a phenomenal team of professionals. We also need the practical and logistical infrastructure to ensure our activities in the region go smoothly, and our new facilities at the Hong Kong Science Park are designed just for that." For details, visit http://www.starlims.com.

PerkinElmer Introduces WIZARD2 Automatic Gamma Counter with Advanced Ease-of-Use Features

PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences, a global leader in life science research, drug discovery and cellular science, has announced the launch of the new WIZARD Automated Gamma Counter. This next-generation gamma counter features a user-friendly interface system with a package of technology advancements for academic, nuclear medicine and pharmaceutical researchers who conduct radiometric immuno assays (RIA), chromium release studies and positron emission tomography (PET) research. The WIZARD Gamma Counter, a widely known, market leading gamma counter used for radiometric detection in clinical and academic research labs around the world, has been re-engineered to feature Windows XP software, touch-screen operation, easy networking capability and USB ports for simple data transfer. For details, visit http://www.perkinelmer.com/CorpPressRoom.htm.

Autoscribe's Matrix Chosen by Leading Pharmaceutical Company

Autoscribe's Matrix Sample Tracking software has been chosen by the Research Division of a major, multi-national pharmaceutical company. It is being implemented at sites in America, Europe and Asia to track samples and slides through the entire pre-clinical, Safety Assessment Division. Peter Mansfield, President of Zumatrix said that the initial contract is for 100 concurrent users at three sites world-wide, with a single Oracle database within the US. He said that the configurability and flexibility of Matrix software was a major factor in winning the contract and that the project from start to validation and completion would be completed in six months. At present it is right on schedule. Sample Tracker may be used in both highly regulated and unregulated industries and provides exactly the same user experience no matter how you access the application; rich client on a LAN, thin client on a WAN, or via the Web using a standard browser. The OneTime Configuration tools automatically create a unified Sample Tracking configuration for both desktop and web use. Once a screen has been built using the unique OneTime Configuration Tools, it is immediately available on your network or via the Web. Matrix software is developed by Autoscribe, Ltd in an ISO 9001-2000 certified process at Riseley, near Reading, Berkshire (UK). The latest releases of Matrix use the Microsoft .NET platform in order to deploy easily and quickly. Zumatrix, Inc provides software products and support for laboratories throughout North America as a distributor for Autoscribe, Ltd. Matrix solutions will be demonstrated at the upcoming Pittsburgh Conference in New Orleans from March 3-6 in Booth #5554. For details, visit http://www.autoscribe.co.uk.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Major Laboratory Informatics Symposium in India

Thermo Fisher Scientific has scheduled its annual Laboratory Informatics Symposium (LIS), to take place on 14-15 February 2008 at the Le Meridien in Bangalore, India. The symposium focuses on how the right informatics
strategies and solutions can streamline data management processes in the life sciences industry and help those laboratories become more efficient, enabling laboratory personnel to become more focused on the science.
Representatives from the following functions within the life sciences industry are encouraged to attend: laboratory scientists, lab managers, information technology managers, systems engineers and operations
executives. Laboratory Informatics Symposium will provide attendees the opportunity to meet and discuss issues and trends concerning laboratory informatics, evolving technologies and changing market requirements. The program for 2008 features compelling customer presentations, product development discussions, user networking and training - exploring how to take advantage of continually evolving technologies to drive improvement within laboratories and businesses. The Informatics CARES (Custom Allegiance through Responsive, Excellent Service) program will be introduced during the conference as well. This addresses Thermo Fisher Scientific's ongoing commitment to its informatics customers. Laboratory Informatics Symposium provides a chance to share industry perspectives and changing business requirements that drive the enhancements necessary in informatics solutions. The company continues its tradition of customer involvement by hosting product breakout sessions which include customer presentations. Laboratory Informatics Symposium will bring together users of purpose-built Thermo Scientific Laboratory Informatics Management Systems (LIMS) solutions, Chromatography Data System (CDS), and spectroscopy software for the pharmaceutical industry. For details, visit http://www.lis08.com.

STARLIMS Announces $1 Million Contract with Pharmaceutical Division of Fortune 500 Company

STARLIMS Technologies Ltd., a leading provider of laboratory information management systems (LIMS), has announced a $1 million contract with the pharmaceutical division of a Fortune 500 company. The contract covers licenses for the web-based STARLIMS software, as well as implementation services and first year maintenance. The STARLIMS Version 10 web-based solution will be implemented in four pharmaceutical sites in North America and Europe. One of these sites has been using the client/server version of STARLIMS software, while the other sites have employed a legacy LIMS provided by another vendor. Aiming to achieve global standardization, the customer leveraged its STARLIMS upgrade to replace all its LIMS with STARLIMS Version 10. The result will be a single web-based platform which provides a unified solution for all four sites. "Based on years of experience with multiple LIMS vendors, this pharmaceutical manufacturer decided to implement STARLIMS Version 10 in all its sites. It is gratifying to witness this vote of confidence in our web-based LIMS technology and in our proven methodology and professional services to provide enterprise-wide LIMS solutions,” said Jeff Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer at STARLIMS. For details, visit http://www.starlims.com.

Invetech to Demonstrate its Contract Development Solutions at LabAutomation 2008

Invetech, a specialist in development of biomedical products, instruments and custom automation, will be
showcasing its entire integrated contract development and manufacturing services at LabAutomation, 26-30 January 2008 at the Palm Springs Convention Centre, Palm Springs, California on booth #957. Invetech's booth at LabAutomation will offer visitors the opportunity to discuss specialist solutions and its turnkey approach with the experts on the booth and learn more about its experience in development of instruments and custom automation solutions for clinical in-vitro diagnostics, clinical pathology, point-of-care diagnostics, laboratory and drug discovery automation and living cell processing systems. David James, Director for Invetech will co-present the Technical Project Management Workshop covering typical project management strategies, stages and progress tracking, with examples of just some of the company's project management tools and their application. For details, visit http://www.invetech.us.

Pittcon 2008 Offers Biofuel Symposium

The Pittsburgh Conference announces a symposium of special interest, "Analytical Instrumentation for Biofuels R&D,” organized by Roland F. Hirsch from the Office of Biological & Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy. This symposium will address the analytical technologies needed to enable progress in meeting the goals of large-scale substitution of biomass-derived fuels and chemicals for their fossil-derived counterparts.
The symposium will feature presentations from each of the three new Bioenergy Research Centers funded by the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy: the DOE BioEnergy Science Center, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, led by the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. After describing the mission and goals for their center, each of the speakers will discuss the analytical instrumentation used in their center and the limitations of existing technologies that will require analytical R&D for characterizing the raw materials and processes that will be studied by their center. Two additional presentations will describe analytical research projects that focus on characterizing and imaging lignocellulosic materials undergoing conversion to simpler molecules that can then be converted to fuels and chemicals. More information on the Centers and the DOE Bioenergy Research Program can be found at: http://genomicsgtl.energy.gov/centers and http://genomics.energy.gov. For details, visit http://www.pittcon.org.

STARLIMS Announces Follow-On Contract with Leading Clinical Research Organization

STARLIMS Technologies Ltd., a leading provider of laboratory information management systems (LIMS), has announced an $800,000 follow-on order from a leading contract research organization (CRO) providing clinical research services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies around the world. In 2007, STARLIMS will record a total of $1 million in revenue from this customer with the current $800,000 sale covering licenses for STARLIMS Version 10 software. The STARLIMS V10 software will be implemented in multiple laboratory sites throughout the customer's clinical laboratory network in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The current license order follows an initial $300,000 license and services contract which was signed in the third quarter of 2006 and implemented in 2007. Upon the successful completion of the initial project, the customer elected to purchase the additional licenses for a global roll-out of STARLIMS V10.
"We are very pleased to have a leading CRO embrace our web-based technology and decide to standardize their global laboratory operations on our STARLIMS V10," said Jeff Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer at STARLIMS. "This is another example of our ability to expand into the clinical laboratory information systems market and address the complex needs of these diverse customers. We continue to receive strong interest in STARLIMS's solutions for clinical labs and see this market as a significant growth opportunity." For details, visit http://www.starlims.com.

Labtronics Announces New LimsLink CDS Release Combines Four Advanced CDS Interfaces in One Solution

Labtronics Inc. has announced that the latest release of LimsLink CDS now combines seamless, embedded CDS/LIMS interfaces for four of the leading Chromatography Data Systems into one solution. This new release introduces a new interface for Chromeleon CDS along with an upgraded interface for Empower and our popular TotalChrom and ChemStation embedded interfaces. These LimsLink CDS v4.1 interfaces give laboratories direct and transparent connection between their Chromatography Data Systems and LIMS, allowing analysts to automatically create sequences and send results straight to LIMS, from within their CDS client. Easy to work with and highly functional, these interfaces speed up delivery of chromatography results to LIMS by significantly reducing the amount of time analysts spend on chromatography data management. Labtronics Special Function Suite is also a part of the LimsLink CDS v4.1 solution, further extending the data management capabilities of the core LimsLink CDS application. The Special Function Suite supports the creation of interfaces that go beyond simple data transfer to automate as much of the CDS data management process as possible. For details, visit http://www.labtronics.com/llcds.htm.

Labtronics Releases Automated Worksheet Management for LimsLink 4.1

Labtronics Inc. has released LimsLink Worksheet Utility v4.1, a stand-alone application that assists organizations with management of the LimsLink v4.1 worksheets that they generate. LimsLink is Labtronics’ industry leading solution for connecting laboratory instruments with LIMS. Many LimsLink users retain LimsLink worksheets in an active state for reference over a specified period of time (i.e. 30 days) after which they either archive or delete the worksheets. From within LimsLink, these worksheets can be individually selected and either deleted or archived as needed. However, in a large volume laboratory this can become a time consuming task. The LimsLink Worksheet Utility v4.1 is an automated solution that allows organizations to identify when worksheets should be automatically archived or deleted and to carry out those tasks on a regular basis. It can be run manually from a desktop icon or it can be setup as a Scheduled Task to automatically run on a regularly scheduled basis. The Worksheet Utility can be set up in conjunction with LimsLink security so that only authorized users are permitted access. All Worksheet Utility archival and deletion activities can also be recorded in the LimsLink Audit Trail. LimsLink 4.1 users that implement the LimsLink Worksheet Utility are confident that their worksheet management activities are being carried out consistently and efficiently without taking up valuable time from laboratory personnel. The Worksheet Utility is also available for previous versions of LimsLink. For details, visit http://www.labtronics.com/ll.htm.

Ventana Medical Systems Licenses BioPathwise DM for Multispectral Image Data Management

The BioAnalytics Group has announced the licensing of BioPathwise DM to Tucson-based Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. for use in their image processing research program. The BioPathwise DM software system makes it easier to capture, secure, share and publish data from any laboratory instrument in any format - images, spreadsheets, documents, etc. "BioPathwise allows us to organize our multi-spectral image data in a way that is conducive to the way we work." says Michael Otter, Sr. Director, Systems Engineering at Ventana. "The software allows us to store the data in one consistent set together with its associated metadata - which is searchable by various attributes, e.g. what and when it was done, type of reagents, etc. The installation on the enterprise-level server was quick and the user interface offers versatile entry masks which were already preconfigured and can easily be expanded without IT involvement or special programming needs." Developed by The BioAnalytics Group through an NIH-funded collaboration to stimulate the use of modeling and simulation in biomedical research, the BioPathwise DM system addresses common laboratory bottlenecks that impede the efficient use of researcher-generated data. "In our work with researchers at universities as well as pharmaceutical, biotech, device, and instrumentation companies," says BioAnalytics Group CEO Scott Lett, Ph.D, "we have developed a number of initiatives to stimulate laboratory productivity by helping researchers work with complex data in an adaptable system that captures both the raw data and the contextual information that makes it meaningful. We have collaborated with Ventana Medical Systems on a number of successful projects such as spectral image analysis, and on the analysis and quantification of many types of data, including that linked to potential diagnostic panels for cancer. While we were developing the BioPathwise DM system, we kept in mind strategies that would help small research groups within large organizations that need to capture, secure, share, analyze, and publish their findings." The BioPathwise DM system allows labs to make experimental results available to anyone it chooses in a secure environment, accessible on the web from any location. Groups of researchers can easily document, store, and share data along with any reports, records, copies of peer-reviewed articles, or other relevant information that helps interpret the raw experimental data. It is part of The BioAnalytics Group's software suite designed to stimulate the use of modeling and simulation in the biomedical discovery and development process. For details, visit http://www.bioanalyticsgroup.com.

Study Examines Media Preferences of Life Scientists in Applied Markets

Faced with modest growth in the traditional life science market, suppliers are turning their attention to opportunities in agricultural, biodefense and molecular diagnostics. To help companies navigate these unfamiliar waters, leading research and advisory firm BioInformatics, LLC released its latest report examining the marketing and media preferences of scientists working in these dynamic markets. The report, "Marketing to Life Scientists: Capturing Customers' Attention in Applied Markets" highlights the importance of effective marketing in capturing mindshare in markets where product differentiation can be hard to achieve. "This report can help life science companies determine the right combination of marketing messages and tactics to efficiently reach their target audience in these applied markets," said Tamara Zemlo, PhD, Director of Syndicated Research at BioInformatics, LLC. "Scientists working in these fields share many similarities with those in basic research and drug discovery, but there are also some striking differences that marketers can exploit for optimal effectiveness." The scientists surveyed also ranked the effectiveness of their suppliers' marketing programs in terms of "best" Web site, print catalog, exhibits, print advertising and sales force. Key findings of the report will be shared in a complimentary webinar presented on January 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET. To register to attend the webinar, please email webinars@gene2drug.com. Approximately 570 scientists from North America and Europe participated in this survey, which was conducted between October 18 and December 3, 2007. Acomplimentary Executive Summary of the report is available at: http://www.gene2drug.com/reports/default.asp?action=details&report_id=186.

ABB's Collaborative Production Management Solution Recognized for Helping Cement Industry Customers Reduce Energy Costs and Consumption

ABB’s Expert Optimizer software was honored with the “Most innovative technology for electrical energy efficiency” award at the second annual Global Fuels conference in London early in February 2008. Part of ABB’s Collaborative Production Management portfolio, Expert Optimizer helps cement plants to significantly reduce their energy consumption and energy costs. Pro Publications International Ltd. organized the conference; over 100 cement industry delegates from 27 countries attended the 2008 event. The judges from Global Cement and Global Fuels Magazines praised ABB’s technologies for their effective reduction of electrical energy usage in cement plants worldwide. Pro Publications Editorial Director, Dr. Robert McCaffrey presented the award to Dr. Eduardo Gallestey, Product Manager for Expert Optimizer at ABB. "We are truly honored that ABB has been recognized with this award,” said Dr. Gallestey. “It is great to see that ABB’s commitment to innovation, and our focus on improving productivity and energy efficiency, has been acknowledged by the opinion leaders in the market. I was very proud to accept the trophy on behalf of our team”. Part of ABB’s Collaborative Production Management suite of solutions, Expert Optimizer allows cement plants to reduce their specific energy consumption through the intelligent use of variable speed drives in fans and kiln control, for implementing cooler optimization in combination with high-efficiency cooler multidrives, and for deployment of mill optimization and grinding plant scheduling for reduction of energy consumption and energy costs. Energy monitoring is executed in conjunction with ABB’s Knowledge Manager solution. During the conference, Dr Gallestey also presented the paper ‘Effective Energy Management in Cement Production’ which he co-authored with Matthias Bolliger, Michelle Kiener and Gabriela Crosley from ABB. ABB's suite of Collaborative Production Management (www.abb.com/cpm) products, which includes Expert Optimizer and Knowledge Manager, provide productivity improvements to process automation companies. For details, visit http://www.abb.com.

ABB Wins $25-million Order for Vietnamese Cement Project

ABB has won an order worth $25 million from Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation for equipment to maximize productivity, monitor energy use and minimize energy consumption at a new cement plant. The Binh Phuoc cement factory will be built about 130 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City and produce 5,500 tons of clinker per day. It is scheduled for commissioning in first quarter of 2009. The scope of ABB’s order includes engineering, construction and commissioning services, as well as overall project management supervision. The equipment ordered includes a 110-kilovolt (kV) distribution substation, automation equipment, motors, drives and instrumentation. ABB will also provide its Extended Automation System 800xA for process control, collaborative production management systems, and other auxiliary equipment. "ABB is committed to providing its customers with the leading-edge technology, services and know-how needed to make their operations successful,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. “Our comprehensive automation and power offerings, together with our expertise, give our customers a powerful blend of productivity, reliability and energy efficiency.” This is the latest in a series of contracts ABB has supplied to Vicem since 1997. Most recently, ABB won an order to provide a similar scope of supply for the Phu Huu clinker grinding project. For details,visit http://www.abb.com/cement.

ABB Tops Process Automation System Market Share Worldwide

In a recently published study titled “Automation Systems for the Process Industries,” industry analyst ARC Advisory Group ranked ABB in the leading worldwide market position in the broad process automation market. In this new report, ARC includes DCS, PLC, SCADA systems, safety systems, AC drives, general motion controls, software and machine safeguarding sold to the process industries. The study forecasts that the total worldwide market for automation systems in the process industries, which was $30 billion in 2006, will grow by a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% by 2011, to over $47 billion. The ARC report states that increasing pressures from globalization is driving process manufacturers to improve plant performance in ways that would be inconceivable without modern process automation systems and business processes. While globalization expands opportunities for these manufacturers, it also intensifies the challenges they face—they need to act quickly and with agility to emerging market opportunities, and improve financial performance, all while dealing with a shrinking base of educated and well-trained personnel. "As the market share leader, ABB is very strong and has a lot to offer. Its ongoing success will come from continuing to provide its customers with sustained and measurable benefits from automation for a path to continuous improvement for business performance and profitability,” said Larry O'Brien, Research Director for Process Industries, ARC. “ABB’s continued focus on delivering automation solutions that provide reduced cost of ownership, increased productivity and reduced risk is a good fit with today’s increasing focus on business value.” In addition to being the leading global supplier, ABB also was the top supplier in key global verticals, such as Oil & Gas, Pulp & Paper, and also in the EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa) region. ABB was also the top supplier to the Cement, Pharmaceutical and Pulp & Paper industries in the Asia market, with sizeable market shares in all other process industries. In the study, ARC takes a look at the leading indicators shaping the growth of the global automation marketplace, from capacity utilization to productivity and industrial production, and how these will affect the market in the coming years. Despite troubles in the US and Canadian economies, the global outlook for automation and manufacturing remains bright. Higher energy prices continue to contribute to increased capital investments and large project backlogs for oil, gas and refining companies. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries remain strong, and growth in Asia and other developing regions remain high. Asia remains the center of growth, but the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America continue to show strong growth as well. Additional information on the Automation Systems for the Process Industries Worldwide Outlook, as well as other studies on the global automation market, is available at http://www.arcweb.com.

ABB’s MPC based Expert Optimizer Successfully Installed at Buzzi’s Signal Mountain Plant

ABB Switzerland Ltd has announced the successful commissioning of their MPC based Expert Optimizer solution at Buzzi Unicem USA Inc.’s Signal Mountain plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Expert Optimizer has been installed on the vertical raw mill and cement mill at Signal Mountain. ABB was a natural partner for Buzzi to select for this installation due to the variety of ABB solutions successfully installed and running on numerous other Buzzi plants around the world. Installation started in the middle of September and was successfully completed in the middle of October 2007. Since Expert Optimizer has been installed there have been production increases from both the raw mill and cement mill. At times the raw mill was a process bottleneck for the entire plant. Expert Optimizer’s MPC technology helped to reduce this limitation. The increase in the performance of the mill has translated into an incremental increase in clinker production. Expert Optimizer has also improved the process stability which means there is now a more consistent feed to the kiln, again resulting in a production increase. Expert Optimizer is advanced process control software the purpose of which is to achieve continuous process optimization. Part of ABB’s Collaborative Production Management suite, it coordinates the setpoints of the different parts of the process and immediately detects deviations among the different parts of the operation. By expertly applying MPC, Expert Optimizer is able to stabilize and then optimize the process which helps plant management to reach profitability and sustainability goals. Scott Henninger, Production Manager at Signal Mountain said “We’ve been really pleased with how the installation went and, of course, with the outcome. Having EO installed with its MPC has been a real improvement to production and the business.” For details, visit http://www.abb.com/minerals.

Congressional Appropriations Subcommittee Denounces FDA

While the FDA doesn’t have enough money to do its job, it uses this lack of resources as an excuse not to enforce drug safety laws, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chairwoman of the subcommittee that funds the FDA, charged at a hearing on Februiary 27, 2008. "The FDA has been starved for resources under seven years of the Bush administration,” DeLauro said in her opening statement. “But increased funding is only part of the challenge. Funds alone cannot fix an agency that routinely fails at its most basic responsibilities — keeping track of clinical trials, preventing conflicts of interest, following up on critical investigations. Sixty-five percent of postmarket studies on new medications have not yet begun. This startling fact makes it clear what a long way we have to go.” DeLauro and other subcommittee members grilled FDA Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock and David Horowitz, deputy associate commissioner for compliance policy in the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, about FDA inspections of drug manufacturing facilities. Citing a Government Accountability Office report that identified problems with inspections of foreign facilities in March 1998, DeLauro said, “From 2001–2008, we provided a 62 percent increase in [Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s] budget. During that time, foreign inspections dropped 30 percent and domestic inspections dropped 17 percent. That’s the result of a decision by the agency.” Horowitz said the FDA had 232 inspectors who went to 300 foreign manufacturing facilities — approximately 10 percent of the total — in 2007 and visited 1,200 domestic manufacturing facilities. When questioned by Rep. Steven Rothman (D-N.J.), Woodcock said hiring additional inspectors would be a top priority for the agency if money were not an issue, but she could not say how many would be needed. For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

AAPS and FDA Announce Signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) has announced the recent signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The document was signed by Janet Woodcock, M.D., the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer, and the Executive Director of AAPS, John Lisack Jr., CAE. This CRADA marks the first time that AAPS has contributed the funding for a specific research agreement. Under the terms of the CRADA, entitled “Enhancing Investigational New Drug Application (IND)/New Drug Application (NDA) Review Quality via Quantifying Prior Knowledge,” AAPS and the FDA will look to advance current research by supporting the development of Alzheimer’s disease-state models. These disease-state models will be implemented by the FDA to review clinical trial data for clinical pharmacology, as well as statistical and clinical reviews. Another goal is to use modeling and simulation (M/S) technology to improve efficiency in the drug product development process. AAPS staff has agreed to provide its expertise in quantitative modeling and simulation, while FDA staff will provide working experience of disease-state model use. The AAPS Executive Council voted to support funding of the initiative in May of 2006 and it has been in development since that point. AAPS and the FDA will now collaborate to recruit and screen scientific candidates for the position of Research Fellow. AAPS has pledged to contribute $200,000 over the 2-year research period to the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) to cover the research process and salary of the yet to be determined Research Fellow, who will work during that time to develop effective Alzheimer’s disease-state models. Also included in the process will be one principal investigator from each organization, with Dr. Joga Gobburu representing the FDA’s Office of Clinical Pharmacology and Dr. Sandra Allerheiligen representing AAPS. "We are very pleased to see the initiation of this important collaboration between the FDA and AAPS,” said Dr. Allerheiligen. “The opportunity to advance current research by supporting the development of Alzheimer’s disease-state models represents an important advance for patients. These tools will help establish quantitative methods to assess disease progression and to ultimately target the appropriate patient with the correct dose and therapy." For details, visit http://www.aaps.org.

NIH Collaborates with EPA to Improve the Safety Testing of Chemicals

Testing the safety of chemicals ranging from pesticides to household cleaners will benefit from new technologies and a plan for collaboration, according to federal scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who have announced a new toxicity testing agreement."I launched the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research five years ago to create collaborations between institutes and centers on big projects that none of them could do alone. But I never envisioned a trans-agency collaboration testing for environmental toxins,” said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. “This research collaboration has the potential to make crucial discoveries that will protect the public health by identifying and understanding chemical toxicants to which people are exposed.” Two NIH institutes have formed a collaboration with the EPA to use the NIH Chemical Genomics Center’s (NCGC) high-speed, automated screening robots to test suspected toxic compounds using cells and isolated molecular targets instead of laboratory animals. This new, trans-agency collaboration is anticipated to generate data more relevant to humans; expand the number of chemicals that are tested; and reduce the time, money and number of animals involved in testing. Full implementation of the hoped-for paradigm shift in toxicity testing will require validation of the new approaches, a substantial effort that could consume many years. This collaboration is being made possible through a newly signed, five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which leverages the strengths of each organization. The MOU builds on the experimental toxicology expertise at the National Toxicology Program (NTP), headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH; the high-throughput technology at NCGC, managed by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), NIH; and the computational toxicology capabilities at the EPA’s recently formed National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT). The MOU provides for sample and information sharing necessary to more rapidly and effectively identify chemicals that might pose possible risks to the health of humans and animals and to the environment. It addresses opportunities for coordination in four basic areas related to achieving the toxicant testing goals, including: identification of toxicity pathways; selection of chemicals for testing; analysis and interpretation of data; and outreach to scientific and regulatory communities. The collective budget is yet to be determined. For details, visit http://www.genome.gov/pressDisplay.cfm?photoID=20030 or http://www.nih.gov or http://www.epa.gov/ncct.

CDER Slated for 283 New Staff in Proposed Fiscal 2009 Budget

The president's fiscal 2009 budget request for the FDA includes an estimated 526 new full-time equivalent employees, 283 for Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) alone. Twenty-six new employees would be in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), 161 would be in the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) and five would be in the FDA Headquarters and the Office of the Commissioner, according to the FDA.
CBER requested an additional $5.6 million in user fees and 18 full-time equivalent employees for its human drug review program, three of whom would review direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisements. The fiscal 2009 is a 5.7 percent increase - approximately $2.26 million more than the $2.27 billion the FDA received for fiscal 2008. The FDA is requesting $15 million and 34 full-time equivalent employees for generic drug application reviews. In fiscal 2009, CDER expects to increase its abbreviated new drug application actions and maintain its new generic drug approval performance from fiscal 2007, when it approved 682 new generic drugs.
Congressional committees have begun hearings to discuss the proposed budget. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing on HHS' fiscal 2009 budget proposal Feb. 14. For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

Lawmakers Push for Biosimilar Legislation in New Healthcare Initiative

The effort to give the FDA authority to approve follow-on biologics, which had slow progress in Congress in 2007, may be picking up momentum as part of a new initiative to improve access to affordable healthcare. Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), all members of the New Democrat Coalition, are leading the effort, which also includes implementing eprescribing. The lawmakers are involved with the three House committees primarily in charge of healthcare policy — including the Energy and Commerce Committee, where follow-on biologics legislation has been introduced. House lawmakers are considering multiple bills, including Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act, H.R. 1038, which would let the FDA approve biosimilars as interchangeable with the reference biologics, and Rep. Jay Inslee’s (D-Wash.) Patient Protection and Innovative Biologic Medicines Act, H.R. 1956, which would not let biosimilars be deemed interchangeable. A spokesperson for Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) said the committee has not yet finalized its agenda for this session but noted that the committee is expected to address the issue of biosimilars in the near future. Similarly, a spokesperson for Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Health Subcommittee, said Pallone continues to work with committee members to reach a consensus on follow-on biologics legislation. For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

President’s Request Would Give FDA $2.4 Billion in Fiscal 2009

The Bush administration is proposing a 5.7 percent increase in the FDA’s budget for fiscal 2009 to improve drug safety, allow user fees to fund a direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisement review program and fund the creation of an approval pathway for follow-on biologics. The request would bring the agency’s total budget to $2.4 billion, including $1.77 billion in direct budget authorities and $628 million in user fees. Most of the user fees would come from prescription drug user fees reauthorized under the FDA Amendments Act (FDAAA), the agency said. The request includes $35 million for drug safety activities already included in FDAAA, $10 million more than in fiscal 2008. The proposed budget raises again the issue of collecting user fees to fund the agency’s voluntary DTC advertisement review program. The program was created under FDAAA last year, but the FDA could not start it because Congress did not allocate the user fees in the agency’s appropriations bill. Instead, Congress directly appropriated approximately $6.25 million for the review program for fiscal 2008. The funding increases in the budget would help modernize drug safety, speed generic drug approvals and provide cost-of-living increases to FDA employees. The FDA said it will expand its work force with 526 additional full-time equivalent staff members in fiscal 2009. In addition, the request proposes a pathway for approving follow-on biologics that would be funded through user fees, President Bush said. The FDA could not give more details on the proposal, but Chief Operating Officer John Dyer said the agency would work with Congress to create legislation allowing a follow-on biologics approval pathway. Several lawmakers recently added follow-on biologics legislation to a new healthcare initiative, giving the issue added momentum in Congress this year. For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

FDA Posts Comments on Bioequivalence Guidelines Online

The FDA has updated its draft product-specific bioequivalence guidelines in response to public comments posted on its dockets page. The guidelines were made available last year in conjunction with the draft guidance “Bioequivalence Recommendations for Specific Products.” The agency is aiming to develop a full set of online product-specific bioequivalence recommendations that generic drug applicants can use instead of having to submit individual requests for assistance in bioequivalence study design. The agency said the guidelines would be posted on the CDER website first as drafts, and it would accept comments and eventually publish final versions. The FDA’s draft recommendations for bioequivalence testing are available at http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/bioequivalence/default.htm#E. The agency’s original announcement about the bioequivalence guidelines, and the comments that have been submitted, can be found at http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/dockets/07d0168/07d0168.html.

EC Launches Unannounced Inspections in Pharmaceutical Sector

The European Commission (EC) has begun an inquiry into the state of competition in the pharmaceutical sector — including surprise inspections of drug company offices — to discover why the number of novel medicines reaching the market has decreased and why generic market entry is being delayed. The commission says it is responding to indications that competition in European pharmaceutical markets may be lacking. The EC plans to examine whether agreements between pharmaceutical companies, such as patent litigation settlements, may violate European laws on restrictive business practices. This marks the first time the commission has begun a sector inquiry with unannounced inspections, the EC said. Pfizer, sanofi-aventis and Sandoz confirmed they are among the companies that have received visits from EC officials and said they are cooperating with the investigation. The EC emphasized that the companies were not chosen based on specific evidence of wrongdoing. Rather, the inspections are simply the starting point of a broader inquiry. The commission said it expects to release an interim report on the findings this fall, with final results planned for the spring of 2009. For details, visit http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm.

Senator Brown Requests Look at FDA Fast Track Designation

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is asking the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to look into the effectiveness of the FDA’s fast track designation for drug applications. The designation is used to expedite the development and review of drugs and biologics intended to treat serious conditions and address unmet medical needs. Brown requested the information to determine the designation’s effects on drug applications, a spokeswoman said. Brown asked the CRS to provide a detailed comparison of fast track, priority and standard review procedures. He requested a definition of each process and the reasons why a company may choose one procedure over another. He also requested a chart indicating outcomes for each procedure, such as the review time frame and approval results. The CRS should indicate other factors that may prompt a drug manufacturer to request a certain type of review. According to the FDA, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research received 196 Fast Track designation requests between March 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 2007, and granted 124. For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

U.S. Planning to Set Up FDA Office in India

As part of the steps being taken by the United States to ensure the quality of the food and drug being imported by it, the U.S. is planning to open an office of its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in India. US Health and Human Service Secretary Michael O.Leavitt and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach went to India to make an on-the-spot assessment of manufacturing practices existing at drugs and the food processing units. They met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P.Chidambaram to discuss the possibility of opening the office in the country. The US has already opened an office of the FDA in China from where it imports large quantities of food articles. The US imports food and drug worth $ 2 trillion from eight lakh manufacturers across the world. From India, the US buys these goods worth $ 56 million. Talking to reporters in Kochi after visiting the unit of AVT Mccromick Ingredients, a leading supplier of spices and its value-added products to the US, Leavitt said that he had initiated this mission since there was a serious apprehension among the consumers in his country on the quality of food and drugs being imported. "We are trying to ensure the quality in the entire system of supply chain, right from the seed to the last outlet from where people buy the goods,” he said. He also said that the US wanted transparency in the whole process so that the consumer in the country could know the origin of the goods. Kerala is a major supplier of spices to the US and the majority of spices exporters adhere to the standard fixed by the US. .For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

Patni Acquires Life Sciences Services Company Taratec for $27 million

Patni Computer Systems, a global IT services provider, has announced the acquisition of Bridgewater, N.J.-based Taratec Development Corp. through Patni Computer Systems Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, for an aggregate price of $27.2 million in cash including contingent consideration. With more than $20m in annual revenues, Taratec is a leading consulting company in the life sciences industry providing integrated business, information technology, and regulatory compliance products and services. This acquisition is in line with Patni's strategy of enhancing its market specific services and provides additional capability to support the growing and diverse requirements of the Life Sciences market, from pharmacovigilance to demand-driven supply chains. Patni can now offer a global delivery model that provides end-to-end capabilities complete with established, life science expertise in specific, high-demand areas. For details, visit http://www.patni.com.

What's New - January - February 2008 The following is a wrap-up of news of interest during the months of January to February 2008

What's New - January - February 2008
The following is a wrap-up of news of interest during the months of January to February 2008