The field of molecular diagnostics has traditionally turned to Laboratory Informatics Systems (LIS) to manage clinical processes. The growing complexity of the field, however, combined with the increasing focus on personalized medicine solutions and the need to manage a much broader range of company operations has led many companies to weigh the benefits of LIMS.
Laboratory Informatics Solutions (LIS) have long been used in the hospital clinical setting, but molecular diagnostics and testing labs are increasingly finding them to be too inflexible to address anything beyond clinical applications. LIS platforms typically offer high-efficiency throughput for well-defined, clinical processes. LIMS systems, by contrast, offer much greater flexibility, and are better able to handle a wider range of tasks – from assay research & development to clinical testing services and customer service or CRM functionality for patient follow-up (including interactions with physicians and patients).
Searching for LIMS
In 2008, Crescendo Bioscience (now a Myriad Company) – a provider of quantitative molecular tests and disease information services in the field of rheumatology – approached LabVantage in search of a system capable of facilitating assay development, clinical trials, and their clinical diagnostic multiplexed protein-based assays. (San Francisco-based Crescendo Bioscience, which ranked 27th on Deloitte’s 2013 Technology Fast 500 and 67th on the 2013 Inc. 500 list, was acquired by Myriad Genetics in 2014.)
With a strong (and growing) position in the rheumatoid arthritis diagnostic market, Crescendo Bioscience sought a modern, cost-effective LIMS to support the business and the dynamic needs of their laboratory. Among their LIMS platform requirements, the Company wanted:
- A rapidly-deployable system
- A system capable of working with their accounts, physicians and patients as well as R&D and manufacturing
- A scalable system
- Broad regulatory compliance capabilities (including CLIA and 21 CFR Part 11)
- The ability to track both on-the-market CLIA test samples and new assay samples
- An easily-configured and highly-customizable system.
Implementing the Right LIMS
Having identified LabVantage as the right fit for them, they were able to quickly deploy the LIMS. Crescendo Biosciences currently uses the system to work with their accounts, physicians and patients – with about 50 users across the clinical, development and manufacturing labs.
The LabVantage LIMS is used to manage all test requisitions, sample shipments, assay batching and laboratory communications. The system is also integrated with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and AutoFax delivery systems, making the entire process seamless and addressing Crescendo’s key need to incorporate customer service/CRM functionality.
Equally as important – LabVantage brings LIMS functionality to their critical R&D operations, with importation of data from instrumentation, sample tracking and strong regulatory compliance.
Want to understand how LabVantage is helping companies in numerous industries improve the efficiency of their workflows, shorten diagnostic test turnaround times, or manage the R&D, manufacturing and patient-facing aspects of their business? Read more LabVantage LIMS case studies, or Contact Us Today!
