Like society at large, laboratories are evolving to become more sophisticated, their components more connected, and their personnel more interconnected with them. Digitalization is no longer a future-looking fantasy but, for many, the reality. Done right it can help protect and streamline the scientific enterprise.
If an alarm goes off in the lab and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
Lab equipment like freezers and incubators are expected to keep their temperatures even when no one is there to check on them—nights and weekends, for example, and in general not uncommon during the pandemic—and an audible alarm won’t alert anyone. To keep precious samples safe, it’s imperative that alerts reach the right person in a timely fashion so that issues can be addressed before they turn into disasters. These days, that usually means by email or SMS (text) message.
A cloud-based digital remote monitoring platform can be connected to any number and variety of devices, letting users know in real-time not only that an emergency is afoot, but also when a run has finished, for example, whether equipment is being used or is available for use, or that gas pressure is running low. Different alerts can be sent to different users, and can be configured to contact other users serially in case the first recipient cannot be reached. Routine data from and about, and documentation for, devices are available on a dashboard. Platforms are typically modular, configurable, and expandable.
Integrity and security of samples depends not only on keeping them at the right temperature and under the right conditions, but also on making sure that you always know what they are and where to find them. This is especially true in multi-user laboratories, and multi-laboratory institutions, with shared storage facilities. Vessels containing samples should be unambiguously labeled.
Data associated with those samples—identity of the sample, creator and date created, perhaps original source and what manipulations have been performed, for example, as well as storage location—should be maintained, preferably in a central location accessible to all who need it. To make the process nearly seamless, samples can be placed in pre-labeled, sticker-free barcoded cryovials.
Devices like pipettes can be barcoded so that their individual calibration history can be tracked. Other devices, like most newer incubators, have ports that allow certain data to be shared. Monitors can also be added to equipment that can report information such as the temperature and partial gas pressures of an incubator, or whether a door has been left open, for example, back to a central system.
A cloud-based digital system that collects and stores device data can also keep track of routine lab maintenance. Reminders can be sent when it’s time to calibrate a pipette, for example, or to decontaminate an incubator or fill its water reservoir.
Smart laboratory-enabled devices, designed to communicate directly with a monitoring system, provide an additional level of laboratory digitalization. For example, a smart incubator offers integrated wizards accessible through an on-board touch-screen interface, which guides users step-by-step though the disinfection process. Tasks, such as when to split cells, can be preprogrammed to create reminders.
Beyond just alerts and reminders, cloud-based laboratory software platforms offer a host of other benefits to the lab managers and bench workers alike.
For example, equipment usage documentation is automatically created and stored, allowing for a convenient way to retrace one’s steps and to troubleshoot problems. It creates an overview of equipment usage, including peak demand times, allowing for maintenance to be scheduled so as to minimize inconvenience and disruption. And it creates an audit trail for regulatory compliance, if needed, and for peer review.
The management software typically allows a lab to subscribe to only the services they are likely to use. As the lab grows, or moves into new areas of research with new equipment needs, devices and users can be added. Because it’s cloud-based it is kept up-to-date, ensuring a sustainable investment that doesn’t become obsolete.
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