Sample management is an integral part of running an effective research laboratory in a hospital, university, or private institution.
For hospital administrators and individual scientists, sample management is also a chance to make a research laboratory more efficient.
Thousands of biological samples may be collected during the development of a new diagnostic test or therapy. Careful management of these research samples is critical because it prevents the unnecessary waste of time and resources that occurs when samples aren't handled or labeled correctly. Knowing that these samples are being properly catalogued and tracked allows physicians to focus on their research efforts, thereby bringing new diagnostic tests and therapies to market more quickly. This is good news for those patients waiting to benefit from these discoveries, designed to save lives and reduce overall medical expenses.
In the past, research laboratories were often forced to make the choice between low-cost manual tracking methods, such as paper forms, and in-house Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) that often could be costly to maintain, difficult to use, and take months to implement.
Utilizing the advances in cloud computing and mobile technologies, Sampleminded® has taken the lead in developing new web-based, multi-platform sample management applications. With solutions to manage mission critical specimens and test results for regulated diagnostics labs, research labs and clinical trials, we partner with each customer to fit their processes and policies, making solutions seamless, secure, and easy to use.
Due to our close partnership with several NIH-sponsored clinical research consortia, many university hospitals are already using the Sampleminded® clinical research system. By empowering researchers and clinicians with reliable and user friendly applications, these organizations have benefited in many ways such as:
- Rapid deployment of new scientific studies
- An intuitive interface, which allows new staff to get onboard quickly
- Flexibility to quickly update sample collection or processing requirements, as required by protocol amendments
- Proactive alerts when expected requirements are not met
The Sampleminded system has been implemented for over 50 NIH-sponsored clinical trials, many of which have resulted in exciting advances in the areas of autoimmune disease, organ transplantation, and allergy. For example, the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study suggests that by exposing children to small amounts of peanut protein early, in a controlled way, clinicians could induce tolerance to the allergen.
This study, carried out exclusively at the Kings College in London, required large batches of samples to be shipped periodically from the UK to the US for analysis. The study operations team was able to effectively monitor these shipments using tools within Sampleminded, allowing them to easily intervene if necessary.
Sample management is also a concern for large diagnostic companies. Recently, Sampleminded® partnered with Exact Sciences to assist in their effort to provide a non-invasive screening for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women over 50 years of age.
Leveraging the latest advances in stool DNA technology, Exact Sciences has developed Cologuard®, an in-home noninvasive colon cancer screening test. Unlike a traditional colonoscopy, Cologuard® does not require drug or dietary restrictions prior to taking the test, and does not require an invasive procedure.
As Exact Sciences started to bring this innovative diagnostic test to market it became clear that fully integrated laboratory tools would be crucial to the success of their project. By implementing the Sampleminded® laboratory workflow system, primarily run on tablets, they were able to securely monitor each test from sample receipt to final result in a simple, easy to use way.
The efficiencies gained by using new sample management technologies indirectly benefit the patients receiving these new diagnostic and therapeutic discoveries, as well as the healthcare system as a whole. When laboratories and researchers make efficient use of time and resources, significant scientific advances become more achievable.
Claire Anderson is a Product Manager for Sampleminded, whose goal is to manage mission critical specimens and test results for regulated diagnostics labs, research labs and clinical trials. The Sampleminded team has broad experience in software.
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