LIMSource News: What's New in January 2010

• Thermo Fisher Scientific to Unveil Major New LIMS at PITTCON 2010

• QSI Releases WinLims Module for Consumables Stock Control

• Autoscribe Expands MATRIX GEMINI LIMS Business in Asia

• Autoscribe Announces 2009 MATRIX LIMS User Survey Results

• Agilent Technologies’ Electronic Lab Notebook Adopted by Institute for Medical Immunology

• Orion Environmental Inc Selects Locus Environmental Software

• ChemSW’s New CISPro GHS Tracking Feature Ensures Safe Chemical Handling with GHS-Compliant Labeling

• Agilent Technologies Launches One-Step Setup RT-PCR Kit for Cloning, Gene Expression and Quantification

• Ariadne's Pathway Studio ChemEffect Module Deployed at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

• FDA Seeks Comment on ICH Biologics Draft

• Industry Expert Reports Targeted Best Practices Reduce Human Error in Plants

Thermo Fisher Scientific to Unveil Major New LIMS at PITTCON 2010

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will unveil a new LIMS solution at PITTCON 2010 in February. Under the theme "Connecting all of Science," the company will also showcase innovative new analytical instruments, software and laboratory workflow solutions that comprise its Thermo Scientific brand. The Thermo Scientific exhibit at PITTCON 2010 will showcase a new full-featured LIMS that offers automated data management and is designed specifically for small to mid-sized laboratories. In addition, the company will showcase a new release of the industry-leading Thermo Scientific Watson LIMS that offers enhanced functionality for large molecule bioanalysis in pharmaceutical and contract research organization laboratories. Watson 7.4.1 extends the flexibility of the cutpoint calculations in the Immune Response Module (IRM) and allows samples analyzed with the IRM to be processed through Watson's Incurred Sample Reanalysis (ISR) functionality. This extends the usefulness of Watson to bioanalytical labs and keeps all processes for both small and large molecule research contained within a single database. Thermo Fisher Scientific will also highlight its recently introduced Thermo Scientific CONNECTS initiative which bridges the gap between laboratory-generated data and enterprise-level information required for mission-critical management decisions. CONNECTS delivers connectivity between Thermo Scientific LIMS and laboratory instruments, equipment and other resources, and it enables the integration of laboratory data with ERP systems, PIMS, MES and other collaboration tools throughout the organization. In addition to displaying its informatics solutions during PITTCON 2010, Thermo Fisher Scientific will exhibit a wide range of instrumentation and services designed to simplify complex workflows and processes. The company also plans to launch new instruments, columns and laboratory equipment. For details, visit http://www.thermo.com/informatics.

QSI Releases WinLims Module for Consumables Stock Control

Quality Systems International (QSI) has created a new software application that enables companies and laboratories to easily and efficiently manage their consumables stock control. The new WinLims stock control module allows a stock record to be created for each consumable item used during an analysis procedure. The stock record includes the suppliers’ details, a description of the consumable item, opening stock figures, re-order levels, re-order amounts, shelf life as well as the cost per item or amount. With each receipt of stock the suppliers’ batch details are recorded including the cost per item, date it was receipted as well as the quantity for each specific shipment. The new stock control solution also enables traceability of the consumables used to be associated with the analysis samples being processed. The system will not allow any consumables outside of their shelf life to be assigned to a method. The quality loop is effectively completed by being able to show for each sample tested, that the methods have been performed correctly and the consumables used, were in specification and within their shelf life. For details, visit http://www.qsiuk.com.

Autoscribe Expands MATRIX GEMINI LIMS Business in Asia

Despite the difficult economic climate around the world, Autoscribe has announced a growth in business for the first 6 months of their current financial year. This is coupled with a growth in profits of 20%. Autoscribe’s plan for further growth include the recent addition of a Malaysian based sales and support centre to provide local expertise as well as coverage for Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with other territories to follow. This is provided by a business partnership with Chemoinformatics Sdn Bhd who provide enabling technology, data driven solutions, services and consultation to analytical, medical and life sciences customers at global level. Chemoinformatics has its office in Malaysia and operates through its sister concerns, Chemoscience in Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Chemoinformatics is a member of the well known and established Chemopharm Group of Companies in the region. Following Autoscribe training in Malaysia and the UK, Chemopharm now has one of the largest LIMS sales and support teams in the region. This move complements the existing sales and support centres in India and Indonesia. A program of seminars, technical workshops and a user meeting is planned for this region during 2010. For details, visit http://www.www.autoscribelims.com.

Autoscribe Announces 2009 MATRIX LIMS User Survey Results

Autoscribe has announced that the results of a 2009 Matrix LIMS User Survey will be provided to potential as well as existing users of Matrix LIMS. The survey monitors Autoscribe’s performance in both USA and the UK and includes questions relating to the software quality, system documentation, system implementation, support response and accuracy and our training performance. All the results received are included in the surveys which include comparisons back to 2006 when the surveys were started. For details, visit http://www.www.autoscribelims.com.

Agilent Technologies’ Electronic Lab Notebook Adopted by Institute for Medical Immunology

Agilent Technologies Inc. has announced that the Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI), part of Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), has chosen the Agilent ELN electronic lab notebook to manage its scientific data. Located on the BIOPARK Charleroi Brussels South, the IMI is part of the Faculty of Medicine of the ULB. Work focuses on translating discoveries “from bench to bedside” based on multidisciplinary teams of medical doctors and basic scientists. Projects are organized along four research programs addressing key questions in medical immunology: vaccine adjuvants, the immune system in early life, transplantation medicine, and immune biomarkers. Through its participation in several research networks, it is expected to contribute to the development of Wallonia in the context of the European Research Area. "The IMI subjected competitive systems to rigorous evaluation, and we’re very delighted that their scientists doing the testing unanimously selected the Agilent ELN,” said Debra Toburen, Agilent senior product manager, Informatics. "The Agilent ELN provides the perfect set of tools for organizing the large amounts of data generated by our scientists,” said Dominique Demonté, deputy director of the IMI. “It also will be helpful in the application of our internal intellectual property policy. We based our purchase decision largely on the Agilent system’s ease-of-use, architecture and also on the level of support provided by the Agilent team.” The Agilent ELN is designed to provide benefits beyond eliminating paperwork. Its scalable, integrated platform simplifies and accelerates the R&D process by facilitating collaboration in a secure framework. Researchers can easily search, retrieve and share data using the ELN’s Web interface.For details, visit http://www.agilent.com.

Orion Environmental Inc Selects Locus Environmental Software

Locus Technologies, an industry leader in web-based environmental compliance and information management software, has announced that Orion Environmental Inc. has selected Locus' Environmental Information Management (EIM) system to streamline environmental data management at its clients' environmental remediation sites. EIM streamlines the data entry, analysis, and reporting of water, air, and soil data uploaded from laboratories or input from the field, so that Orion Environmental can get reports and answers quickly. This data is stored in a central, secure location and can be easily shared with regulators, clients, or in-house management. EIM also provides standard analytical chemistry tools and report generation in an easy-to-use system for Orion Environmental. Locus has also released a new utility that offers customized reporting using templates based on customer formatting and document requirements. Users can define filtering, data sequencing and formatting, and footnotes for a report and save all criteria for later use. This new utility allows EIM users to generate report quality data tables with only a few clicks without any required third party software. Reports can be run on any computer that has a web browser allowing for report generation at any time and any place. This utility has great potential to reduce reporting costs and labor. For details, visit http://www.locustec.com or http://www.orionenv.com.

ChemSW’s New CISPro GHS Tracking Feature Ensures Safe Chemical Handling with GHS-Compliant Labeling

ChemSW, Inc. has released a new capability in their CISPro Global and CISPro Live chemical inventory systems that allows users to define and identify GHS values for chemicals in the CISPro database. Using this new feature enables companies to readily adopt and stay within compliance of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals regulation that was released in July 2009. “Basically, the United Nations is trying to consolidate the disparate systems used around the world into a finite set of universal classes of risk,” explains David Hessler, Vice President of Software Research and Development at ChemSW. “The primary use of the GHS system will be labeling of toxic and hazardous materials, so this is very much a safety regulatory requirement that EH&S managers will need to ensure is implemented correctly.” Agencies worldwide, such as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), are currently revising their standards to the GHS. OSHA, for instance, has completed revisions to their Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) and published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on September 30 in the Federal Register that will require chemical manufacturers and importers to have a hazard communication program for hazardous chemicals. For details, visit http://www.chemsw.com/GHS.htm.

Agilent Technologies Launches One-Step Setup RT-PCR Kit for Cloning, Gene Expression and Quantification

Agilent Technologies Inc. has announced availability of the AffinityScript One-Step RT-PCR Kit. The launch of the AffinityScript One-Step RT-PCR Kit represents a re-entry into the one-step RT-PCR market for Agilent's Stratagene Products Division with a market-leading solution for researchers performing end-point RT-PCR. The AffinityScript One-Step RT-PCR Kit is a high-performance system for convenient, high-throughput RT-PCR in a one-step reaction. The kit is ideal for rapid, easy one-step set-up for RT-PCR, and the simple format eliminates the potential for contamination when preparing multiple or high-throughput reactions. The kit targets researchers performing end-point RT-PCR reactions and provides high product yields and fidelity for applications such as cloning, gene detection, and quantification. The kit consists of AffinityScript RT and Herculase II Fusion DNA polymerase enabling multi-temperature RT, with higher activity than the leading competitor's kits at all temperatures, and a robust amplification step to generate higher yields of cDNA with amplicons ranging from 500 bp to 9.6 kb. For details, visit http://www.agilent.com.

Ariadne's Pathway Studio ChemEffect Module Deployed at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Ariadne has announced that The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has upgraded their Pathway Studio installation with Ariadne’s ChemEffect drug-centric module. This module, along with Pathway Studio’s protein-centric data, is assisting M. D. Anderson’s research pipeline aimed at enhancing therapeutic utility of the enzyme-drug L-Asparaginase (L-ASP). Dr. Phil Lorenzi, supervisor of Laboratory and Research, Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, who is heading research efforts for this project, notes “L-ASP is a standard component of chemotherapy regimens for leukemia and is also being tested against solid tumors, but efficacy is observed in only a subset of patients. We’re looking for protein and small molecule biomarkers that predict L-ASP response and for small molecules that exhibit synergistic anticancer activity with L-ASP.” Dr. John Weinstein, Chair of the department and principal investigator of the project, adds “Together with data from siRNA screening and metabolomic profiling experiments, Pathway Studio and ChemEffect will facilitate a systems-wide approach to prioritizing candidate biomarkers and potentially synergistic drug combinations. If successful, an advantage of trying to re-position approved drugs, rather than bring a new one to the table, is that we don’t have to wait 14 years or have a billion dollars in spare change to make it happen.” For details, visit http://www.ariadnegenomics.com.

FDA Seeks Comment on ICH Biologics Draft

The FDA is publishing an International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) draft guideline that updates and explains specific preclinical steps drugmakers should take to facilitate the conduct of product development and clinical trials for biotechnology-derived drugs. The guideline recommends new steps in species selection, study design and testing for immune response, toxicity and carcinogenic potential due to experience gained since a previous ICH guideline on the preclinical safety of such products was issued. Comments are due Feb. 1. For details, visit http://www.fda.gov.

Industry Expert Reports Targeted Best Practices Reduce Human Error in Plants

Good manufacturing practice regulations require that production errors be fully investigated, but when companies identify human error as the cause of an incident, they tend to see that as the end of an investigation rather than a starting point for further review, experts say. Eighty percent of product failures are due to human error and of those, more than 50 percent are related to procedures, states Ginette Collazo, an expert on industrial and organizational psychology. For details, visit http://www.ginettemcollazo.com.

What's New - Right Now The following is a wrap-up of news of interest during the month of January 2010

What's New - Right Now
The following is a wrap-up of news of interest during the month of January 2010