© RYCCIO/ISTOCKPHOTO.COMWith today’s high-throughput technologies and state-of-the-art tools, laboratories around the world are generating mountains of data at unprecedented rates. The traditional approaches to data management—notes jotted in lab notebooks, multiple spreadsheet files tucked away in computer folders, and images of gels and computer printouts stashed in 3-ring binders—no longer suffice. As a result, many researchers are turning to computerized laboratory information management systems (LIMS)—database applications that can help collect, organize, and track information about the samples being analyzed and the data being generated in the lab.
The first LIMS came on the scene more than 30 years ago as custom-made applications designed to increase productivity and to reduce the errors associated with routine laboratory functions. Today, a plethora of commercially licensed and open-source options are available, ranging from application-specific tools to multipurpose solutions. “A LIMS today is defined by what it can achieve,” says Tom Dolan, Director of Sales for RURO, Inc., which specializes in LIMS and other software for laboratory management.
Many LIMS can be configured to communicate with laboratory equipment, including analytical instruments and liquid-handling robots. This not only allows data to flow directly into the LIMS as it is generated, but also enables the system to direct the workflow with specifically tailored instructions. Features like these can improve ...
