Tag: Sample Manager

Migrating data from a freezer management system can be hard. So difficult in fact, that many labs continue to use an outdated system long after it is no longer serving their needs. Sometimes, the legacy system has even become a hindrance to sample management operations. However, this shouldn’t deter you from taking on the challenge of upgrading your freezer management software and reaping the rewards of improved organization and management of your lab samples. Below are a few tips for a painless switch to a new freezer management system. 

Plan and prepare for your new freezer management system.

Develop a plan for migrating to your new system that includes a timetable for which freezer data will be migrated, and roles/responsibilities during the process. Make that your team is trained on the new system and that you are communicating clearly throughout the process.

Backup your legacy data. 

Before anything, it’s important to have a backup of data for record-keeping and disaster recovery. During the migration process, this backup will serve as a record of your legacy system data- some of which may not transfer over to the new freezer management system. Create system-wide backups for recovery, but also human-readable backups for data mining if an unlikely event happens. 

Determine what will be migrated.

Take this as an opportunity to clean up legacy data and items in the freezer. This might even be a good time to defrost and clean your freezers if they are not on a regular defrosting schedule. Focus on the essential samples and related data to keep your system and your freezers clutter-free. For each sample type, determine the list of fields exported from the legacy system and how they will map to the new system. Document data types, field validation (required fields or a specific range of values), and any other requirements such as relationships between samples and sources.

Utilize your resources – ask for help. 

Many vendors offering freezer management system offer migration services, so ask for help! If the system you’re moving to doesn’t offer this, consider hiring a consultant or contractor to help if your team members are too busy or you need advice. When choosing a system, make sure to consider the support you will need to implement your new system.

LabKey Sample Manager provides:

• Easy, straightforward data import format to register your samples and their locations in a single step
• Unlimited user-defined fields allow teams to capture any data necessary
• Migration services and customer support when needed

Click Here to learn more and take a tour!

LabKey has launched a comprehensive solution for managing laboratory freezer storage and sample locations within its user-friendly sample management software- LabKey Sample Manager.

By including robust freezer management capabilities in a full-featured sample tracking and workflow management system, LabKey Sample Manager aims to serve as a collaborative hub for sample processing work in the laboratory. The application helps standardize and guide lab processes while capturing the entire history and chain of custody for each sample. The addition of freezer management integrates the tracking of sample locations, freezer storage, sample volume, and freeze/thaw counts into an already rich feature set for managing sample processing work.

“Having worked in the lab for more than ten years, I can attest to the need for integrated sample and freezer management software that is flexible and easy to use. I’m excited that with LabKey Sample Manager, we have created just that” says Hannah Brakke, Product Manager at LabKey. “We have developed a truly intuitive application that allows laboratories to register and track their samples and collaborate- all in one place. Adding a straightforward freezer management system with a modern user interface takes the sample tracking capabilities to the next level.”

Sample Manager gives laboratories the power to use the freezer management features in a way that matches their lab and workflow requirements by taking a “sample-centric” approach. This allows samples and their data to live in the system before a sample has been stored in the freezer and even after they have been removed from storage in the lab. Using this approach to freezer management, Sample Manager helps to streamline lab workflows and takes into account the real-world sample management operations of busy labs. Additionally, the flexibility of Sample Manager allows users to configure the application to exactly match the physical freezer storage options in their lab.

LabKey Sample Manager Overview

LabKey Sample Manager is a flexible and intuitive application designed to boost lab efficiency and productivity. Easily track samples, manage freezer storage, create workflows, and unify samples with experiment data. Use the links below to learn more about LabKey Sample Manager:

Sample Tracking – End-to-end sample tracking features including chain-of-custody tracking,  sample types and sources, and lineage views

Lab Workflow Management – Use workflows to standardize lab processes and manage ongoing work in the lab

Freezer Management – Manage sample storage and freezer capacity using an intuitive interface

Lab Data Integration – Integrate assay data with your samples and assign metadata for a complete picture of your ongoing experiments 

If you’ve worked in a lab, you’ve likely used some form of freezer management to manage your sample storage. For some labs, this may simply be a paper lab notebook where freezers, boxes, and sample locations are annotated. Others may periodically update an Excel file with samples stored in the freezer and place a print out of the spreadsheet on the freezer itself. However, for truly efficient and organized labs, nothing beats having freezer management software to manage your freezer capacity and sample inventory. Below are 3 key reasons why you need software to manage your lab freezer storage. 

1. Your samples are precious and should be treated that way.

Samples can be one of the most precious things in the lab, sometimes they are even irreplaceable. The time spent collecting, processing, and collecting data from samples means they are valuable not only to your research but also to the cost efficiency of your lab. Misplacing and looking for lost samples can be a huge waste of time for laboratory staff and even more so if the samples are never found. Using freezer management software ensures that your freezers are kept organized and reduces the chances that you will misplace valuable samples.

2. Excel and paper-based freezer management can’t keep up with busy labs.

Although Excel and paper-based systems may be able to keep up with the needs of a very small lab, they are very difficult to keep updated with accurate information and definitely don’t meet the needs of larger or growing labs. Busy staff in the lab will need to manually/visually judge freezer capacity, update multiple sheets and samples when making simple changes, and have to manually keep track of sample volumes and freeze/thaw counts. This method of freezer management is highly prone to errors from day-to-day use not to mention during scheduled clean-outs and organization of the freezer.

3. Complete and accurate auditing is nearly impossible without freezer management software.

Auditing and organizing your samples is a much easier task with freezer management software.  You’ll have a full record of all check-in/check-out events for samples, by which staff, and a full history of the location and movement of samples in the freezer. This level of completeness and accuracy is much more difficult to achieve using paper or excel. Freezer management software captures all of the information you need for a comprehensive audit of your freezer storage and samples. 

Freezer Management with LabKey Sample Manager

With Sample Manager, we have introduced a sample-centric freezer management solution into the application. This means you can create samples, add metadata and lineage information, perform work and even upload assay data — all without having to use the freezer management tool. Of course, if you plan to store your samples, freezer management is there to help by:

• Managing your freezer with an end-to-end sample tracking system that stores the entire sample history and chain of custody in one place
• Providing a customizable, flexible structure to accurately reflects the physical freezers in your lab
• Tracking samples in and out of the freezer (freeze/thaw counts) and automatically calculating and tracking sample volumes 
• Helping you to easily find samples in the freezer and move samples between freezers
• Tracking and maintaining full audit logs of the freezer and of the samples

The best way to encourage users to adopt a new system is by providing them with benefits that actually help them- save them time, make tasks simpler, etc. Additionally, when a system becomes the primary source of truth for team members, it becomes easier to adopt because that’s where the information lies. Click here to learn more about our freezer management solution. 

Due to their wide availability and ease of use, Excel spreadsheets are considered by some labs to be a viable alternative to sample tracking software.  Smaller labs may find spreadsheets more economical and require less training than a sample tracking system. However, Excel spreadsheets have some major drawbacks for managing and tracking lab  samples. Conversely, a dedicated sample management system has features that are necessary as a lab grows and the complexity of tracking samples increases.  

1. Sample tracking software reduces human error

When using spreadsheets for sample tracking, it is very easy for data to go missing or be inadvertently changed. Cells, columns and the data contained within can be deleted or edited, with virtually no tracking of the changes or by whom the changes were made.  Sample management software provides structure to the data captured for each sample and defines how sample data can be changed and by which users. Software also provides an audit trail to monitor and report any changes.

Sample management software has features specifically dedicated to set up rules and restrictions regarding data creation/import and editing. For example, perhaps the volume of a particular sample type should always be a positive number, or the Sample ID is a required field? These features give teams the ability to structure their sample data in a way that makes sense for them. A good sample management software will have the flexibility to allow users to define their own data structures and processes to match the actual lab work, instead of the other way around. 

2. Spreadsheets lack robust security and permissions 

Spreadsheets, unlike sample tracking software or traditional databases, don’t have a detailed permissions model. For example, you may only want certain members of your team to be able to add new rows and not have the ability to edit the columns/metadata. In Excel, you are limited to granting basic read-only or read-write permissions. Sample tracking software allows for more granular permissions to be assigned based on your role in the sample management process. Maybe your Principal Investigator can only read, while the lab manager dictates what type of metadata is captured, and the rest of the lab members can add and update samples as needed.  

Sample Tracking Software- the clear winner!

A well-designed sample tracking software should not require extensive training or a long implementation process. Good software is designed with the end-user in mind and should be intuitive. Sample tracking software also contains a variety of other features that are focused on real-world laboratory sample management processes. 

LabKey Sample Manager is an intuitive sample management software designed to help labs efficiently track samples, define laboratory workflows, and unify samples with assay data.

Sample Tracking – End-to-end sample tracking features including chain-of-custody tracking,  sample types and sources, and lineage views

Freezer Management– Manage sample storage and freezer capacity using an intuitively designed interface

Lab Workflow Management – Assign samples to user-defined workflows and monitor the workflow completion status at each stage for every sample

Sample Data Integration – Integrate assay data with your samples and assign metadata for a complete picture of your ongoing experiments 

Take a tour of Sample Manager – register to see LabKey Sample Manager in action!

For many labs, choosing a new sample management system can feel like a daunting task. Whether it’s your first time using software to manage your samples, or you are looking for a new sample management system to replace an existing application, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

Sample Management System Features

When evaluating a system to manage your samples, it is important not to think about whether “it’s the right system”, but rather if it is “the right system for our laboratory’s needs right now and in the future”. 

Think about the features the system offers and how it matches up with your lab processes and workflow. Are the structured that you would have to change your existing lab processes? Do you feel that you require a system with more flexibility so that it can be configured to your existing sample management processes? Beyond your current lab operations it is also important to consider the future of your lab – do you plan to introduce new assays, processes, or sample tracking procedures, and will the system be able to handle those? Do you need freezer management features to help manage sample storage?

Aside from features, you should also think about how much effort it will take for your team to implement and configure the new system. 

Sample Management System Pricing

The price of the sample management system is also an important consideration. Make sure you are aware of the factors that determine system pricing. This may include pricing tiers based on the database size, number of users, number of samples, availability of certain features, or other price-determining factors. Make sure you are comfortable with any potential increase in cost as your lab grows and your needs change. This can help prevent an unexpected and significant increase in cost at a certain capacity. Making an effort to estimate usage, including users and amounts of data, prior to choosing a system will help you be a more informed buyer and help plan for the future. 

Adopting a Sample Management System in the Lab

Once you feel comfortable with the feature set and cost offered by a particular solution, the single-most important factor in implementing the software is gaining adoption within the lab. 

Incorporating a new sample management system into the lab can be arduous and challenging. Scientists are used to working in a way that is most efficient for them, and introducing a new system may be disruptive to their normal way of operating. To minimize this disruption and foster adoption of the new system, make sure to include the end-users in the lab during the evaluation process. Allow them to test their scenarios and evaluate usability. Create an environment where their feedback is valued and taken into consideration, and ideally choose a system that helps boost their efficiency and complement existing processes. Choosing software that provides tools for data validation, integration and reporting are all good ways to help scientific efficiency move in the right direction. 

Once you have chosen a sample management system, determine an implementation plan that will work for the group, and allow for some trial and error. Pick one or two lab processes that can be moved to the new system, gather feedback and make improvements as needed before implementing a new set of processes. Have a concrete timeline that will empower users to fully test the system and provide time for feedback and checkpoints. 

Product Highlight: LabKey Sample Manager

LabKey Sample Manager is a feature-rich and intuitive sample management software designed to boost the efficiency and productivity of your lab. Easily track samples, manage their lineage, define laboratory workflows, and unify your samples with assay data. Learn more about Sample Manager using the links below:

Sample Tracking – End-to-end sample tracking features including chain-of-custody tracking,  sample types and sources, and lineage views

Lab Workflow Management – Use workflows to standardize lab processes and manage ongoing work in the lab

Freezer Management – Manage sample storage and freezer capacity using an intuitive interface

Sample Data Integration – Integrate assay data with your samples and assign metadata for a complete picture of your ongoing experiments 

Explore Sample Manager – Sign-up for a tour ofLabKey Sample Manager!

Complete and efficient lab sample tracking is a must for any well organized laboratory. With a multitude of samples being received, aliquoted, having assays performed and making their way through the lab, it’s easy to see why a lab needs tools and procedures for managing sample tracking. A few general tips for tracking samples include:

1. Standardize sample naming conventions that are both unique and meaningful. And of course, make sure they fit on the label!
2. Capture sample metadata that makes sense for your lab, workflow, and for the sample. Make this part of your sample registration procedures and review the data points to be captured with your team to make sure your team is aware and engaged in the process.
3. Consider when and how the registration of new samples should be done in your lab setting. Are samples registered in bulk via an upload of an Excel spreadsheet or are samples entered individually and registered directly into the sample management software? Alternatively, can you anticipate what samples you’ll be receiving, and can register them ahead of time and mark them as received once they come into the lab? Standardizing the initial sample registration procedures ensures that your sample tracking gets off to the good start.

Tracking lab samples and chain of custody with LabKey Sample Manager

By implementing the lab sample tracking tips above, you can also start thinking about how to track the chain of custody of a sample using LabKey Sample Manager. One way to do this is by viewing the audit log at a macro level to see what’s happened in the system. Each entry tracks the user with a date/time stamp for full-featured auditing. Although this meets many compliance requirements, it is often burdensome to look through the many entries in the system to track down the actions around a single sample.

A much better way of tracking sample chain of custody is using the Sample Timeline feature within the application. Using this feature, users can see and analyze specific events for a sample- starting with when (time and date) a sample was registered and by whom (user).  Also tracked and viewable on the timeline are any metadata changes, assays performed, and the addition of a sample to a particular workflow job. 

Viewing the timeline for an individual sample provides a comprehensive look into the chain of custody of the sample within LKSM in one easy place. This feature can be used as an auditing mechanism, or just another way to track and understand the context of your sample in the lab.

Click here to explore the Sample Timeline in LabKey Sample Manager

LabKey has released Sample Manager, intuitive and powerful sample management software that brings greater ease, efficiency and insight to sample processing within laboratories. The application’s easy-to-use interface provides access to a host of powerful features that address common challenges experienced by labs in the processing and management of samples. These features include user-friendly mechanisms to create samples and efficiently discern sample lineage, workflow features to easily assign and track sample processing tasks,
and features to unify samples with their related experiment data. 

Sample Manager was built with valuable insight from a Product Advisory Council (PAC) made up of academic and biotech laboratories conducting research in various fields. PAC participants focused on providing LabKey with input that informed the development of features to boost sample processing efficiency, provide greater operational control and promote data integrity. 

Read the full press release about the Sample Manager launch by clicking here.

Try LabKey Sample Manager

You can easily begin exploring Sample Manager by visiting the product page and clicking the “Get Access” button in the green section. Once you fill out the form, you will receive an access link in your email to a read-only evaluation version of Sample Manager. Additionally, we will be hosting an “Introduction to Sample Manager” webinar on February 20th at 10:30am PST. Product manager Hannah Brakke will give an overview of the application and conduct a live demo of key features. 

To register for the webinar, please click here.

Research and clinical laboratories alike are continuously striving to improve their lab sample management workflows. As more organizations invest in translational and collaborative research, the need to collect samples with higher integrity and reproducibility increases. By using sample management software to improve their laboratory workflows, labs can generate more reproducible and reliable endpoints while also boosting processing efficiency. Standardizing processes and workflows can help improve identification methods and reduce processing errors within laboratories. 

Common ways to improve your lab sample management workflows include:

1. Standardize the processes within your lab.
   Developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for your laboratory sample management increases the reliability of endpoint samples and therefore the assay results. Well-developed SOPs will account for common troubleshooting methods and provide mechanisms for users to document abnormalities. This in turn will provide more insight to groups downstream about the sample fidelity. SOPs also act as excellent training resources for new staff and ensure the entire team is well trained and prepared for managing samples in the lab.
   
   
2. Determine your laboratory capacity.
   Establishing capacity for any workflow is important. Determining the capacity of both your laboratory staff as well as equipment capacity is important to establish limits that will guide the most effective and reliable lab sample management workflow. By evaluating the available capacity of staff and equipment, new insights can be learned to improve lab and sample processing efficiency.
    
3. Automate where possible. By introducing automation methods, even if they are as straightforward as barcode generation and scanning, you can improve the laboratory capacity as well as reduce the potential for errors. Barcodes in particular will enhance sample identification and minimize additional effort from laboratory staff. Other advanced methods of automation, such as robotic processing, may also provide value but are typically more costly and can increase processing time in some cases.
4. Deploy integrated systems that help laboratory work. Using software systems in the lab that do not hinder sample management processes, but instead enhance them, is important for gaining adoption and boosting laboratory morale. By having integrated systems that are easy-to-use, researchers can perform work faster with less ramp-up time, and can recognize discrepancies easier. Downstream, integrated systems offer organization leadership the mechanisms to track workflow data over time with the ability to easily adjust workflows to improve processing.

LabKey Sample Manager

Developed in coordination with our lab partners, LabKey Sample Manager has been intuitively designed to boost the efficiency and productivity of laboratories. The application allows for the registration and tracking of samples and their derivatives, as well as the assignment of samples to custom sample processing workflow jobs. This provides a flexible yet standard mechanism of capturing tasks in each workflow, and can act as a virtual record of sample processing. Additionally, Sample Manager allows laboratory staff to easily capture data generated from these workflows and associate them with samples. 

Contact Us for more information regarding Sample Manager.

Related Post: Benefits of Unifying Lab Samples with Assay Data

Many laboratories experience challenges with their sample data management functions. Samples, aliquots of samples, and the data derived from them are often stored as a mixture of paper and electronic records, or in hard-to-search electronic laboratory notebooks. Difficulty in managing complex interlinkages and the inability to tie results data back to sample records can cause duplicate assays to be performed and puts data integrity at risk. Having a system that unifies assay data directly with sample information provides bench scientists, lab managers and investigators with a comprehensive view of the work that has been, or needs to be performed in the lab. It also provides downstream researchers with valuable information on how and when results were derived for each sample.

By unifying your lab samples with assay data, you can:

1. Analyze, interpret and report the data more accurately. With an understanding of how samples were generated and pre-processed, scientists can ensure their downstream data analysis takes these sample metadata into account when they perform their analysis. This improved reproducibility in the lab and generates publication-ready data.
2. Easily attain accurate insight into what data has been collected around a given sample, avoiding the time consuming process of searching through lab notebooks or loose data files. Knowing what data has been generated will reduce duplicative experiments, increase productivity and ultimately result in less overhead expenses.
3. Generate data provenance between data that is created from samples, allowing users and auditors to easily understand how data was generated.

LabKey Sample Manager 

Developed in coordination with our lab partners, LabKey Sample Manager has been intuitively designed to boost the efficiency and productivity of laboratories. The application allows for the integration of various types of tabular assay data with samples and their corresponding metadata. This provides a complete picture of ongoing experiments and data collected. Additionally, Sample Manager allows laboratory staff to easily capture sample lineage and assign samples to customizable laboratory workflows.

Contact Us for more information regarding Sample Manager.