Overview
Eremid® Genomic Services, a specialty high-complexity CLIA-certified and CAP accredited genomics contract research organization (CRO), was in the process of streamlining their research and clinical laboratory workflows. The complexity and unique individual nature of their projects required a laboratory information management system (LIMS) that could support and manage the diverse portfolio of clinical and research-focused needs of their clients.
About Eremid
Eremid Genomic Services provides technical expertise in all aspects of genomics, delivering high quality science and data through customized, collaborative projects for both clinical and research clients working in human health, nutrition, and agbiotech.
Solution replaced: Spreadsheets
The Situation
As part of its business expansion, Eremid needed to invest in a LIMS, particularly in the clinical setting, to improve efficiency, workflows, data tracking and management.
However, they were finding it challenging to source an informatics solution that could support the unique nature of their organization. For example, with both research and clinical labs providing bespoke custom projects to clients, a LIMS needed to provide both flexibility and structure, seemingly contradictory workflow management requirements.
“We were looking for a single system that could meet the needs of both our research and our clinical laboratories. Most systems were either too rigid for the research setting or too loosely structured for the clinical setting.”
Lauren Moon, BS
Clinical Lab Manager, Eremid
Additionally, Eremid needed a system that could be applied to a broad diversity of project requirements. Their client portfolio is varied, with no two projects being the same, requiring custom workflows to be created and tailored to the specific needs of each individual program.
The Solution: Labbit
Eremid evaluated multiple LIMS providers and options before selecting Semaphore and the Labbit system as their platform of choice to meet their unique requirements.
Requirement #1: Flexibility to support disparate laboratory environments and project diversity with one system
Most LIMS are built on rigid SQL databases with pre-configured data models, which is useful for repetitive regulated settings, but too confining for the complex nature of research. In contrast, systems designed for research are highly unstructured and struggle to enforce the kind of process consistency required in the regulated clinical setting.
Labbit was designed to provide customizable structure to a workflow as required, and separated into environments for individual scenarios, such as clinical and research in Eremid’s case. For example, all the steps necessary to remain compliant for clinical projects can be removed from the research module if they’re not required.
“Labbit’s flexibility allows us to add as much or as little rigor to workflows as required. We can give our scientists the freedom to iterate as needed, or lock things down on the clinical side. All with one system.”
Lauren Moon, BS
Clinical Lab Manager, Eremid
Requirement #2: Adaptability to complex workflows, new projects, and evolving science
The Eremid team appreciated the Labbit LIMS approach to workflow configuration which replaces tedious programming with highly visual Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) that mimics drawing on a whiteboard. By graphically representing procedures, BPMN increases the speed and efficiency to digitize workflows, integrate them into the platform, and deploy changes. This gave Eremid scientists the confidence that even their most complex research lab workflows would be represented accurately in Labbit, allowing them to keep pace with diverse projects and shifting client requirements. In addition, they could easily adapt workflow scenarios from the research lab to a clinical setting with a few adjustments, which is particularly helpful as projects transition from a research to clinical phase.
“The BPMN is excellent for visualizing a 3D-like view of the workflow so that we can see all the steps and routing clearly. It’s just as collaborative as a whiteboard but much more efficient.”
Julien Curaba, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Eremid
Requirement #3: A trusted partner with expertise in LIMS implementation
Equally important to Eremid was the expertise of the Semaphore team. With hundreds of thousands of hours of combined experience implementing LIMS in high-complexity, high-throughput laboratories, the Labbit team was in the best position to guide them through the process.
“Going through the workflow configuration process with the Labbit team, I was so impressed with their foresight that was clearly rooted in their experience. They’d present a broader picture of why doing things the traditional way would cause friction down the road when shifting to new projects and helped us build flexibility into the system to mitigate this.”
Francisco Camacho, PhD
Director, Graham Genomics Lab, Eremid
“The experience of software engineering with both the needs and language of laboratories has been hugely beneficial. One of my favorite things is that I can just speak ‘lab’ and the Labbit team understands and just translates it into the software.”
Sarah Sterrett, BSc.
Research Lab Manager, Eremid
Conclusion
Eremid Genomic Services identified Labbit LIMS as their system of choice to meet the diverse and dynamic needs of a high-complexity genomics commercial CRO running both research and clinical labs. Selecting the right laboratory informatics software is crucial for managing the workflow operations, enhancing efficiency, data management, and quality. The Labbit LIMS delivers all of this in a flexible and user-friendly system that will enhance Eremid’s business and service.
