Research software for analytical laboratories

From samples to results: Sharing information with breeders and testers, preparing automata plates, monitoring the workflow

Analytical laboratories process and analyze samples collected from living material. Analytical laboratories support field researchers when the parameters of the processing chain must be studied and/or when results on final products must be combined with characteristics of the raw material.

The data or products that it generates are essential for the researchers for data analysis and decision making. RnDExp™ helps analytical laboratories better communicate with their researcher partners (e.g. breeders and agronomists) information of interest.

These days the laboratories use many different types of automata. These machines have the advantage of being faster and more consistent compared to manual work. As a result, each sample generates an important amount of data that laboratories take in charge to analyze and make available or just communicate to researchers who will be responsible to combine with information from other sources.

Prepare and track laboratory samples

How researchers can tell me their biotech needs ?

Thanks to the centralized information system RnDExp, all material information can be shared with any activity of the research department, such as samples, plans, tissues, reagents, markers. When researchers declare some analytical analysis from their workstation, the laboratory receives all information necessary to proceed to the analysis, integrated with the material naming used in the breeding program.

How to track material along the laboratory protocols?

RnDExp propose each organization to define

1) the type of samples manipulated e.g. vegetative parts of the plants, DNA extracted, transformed material, with all their characteristics

2) the source from where it has been collected (e.g. identifier of the plant in a field plot, the person who send or prepared the sample)

3) the processing steps it must walk through.

RnDExp is process oriented thanks to flexible tools to select and display distinct information

May RnDExp help me avoid sample errors?

Yes, there are many features in RnDExp that will remove error hazards:

• Material tracking along the laboratory protocols (scoring, observations, genetic/phenotypic description…)
• Optimization of listings and forms to reduce the number of manual operations on the samples. For instance, sorting sample collection form (material, traits) according to the requirements of the automata (samples, plants, tissues, reagents, markers) prevents from transferring the samples manually after the PCR. The order of the items can be chosen wisely for you to avoid useless manipulations and therefore avoid errors and save time. More info on Gautier Semences success story. 
• Material and labels can be renamed, enabling “blind” work
• Barcode handling for inventory and identification of samples, including printer connection and direct identification from the barcode reader

Sample flow and analysis in Laboratories

Can I save time preparing sample collection forms?

We help you configure RnDExp™ forms to prepare your sample collection. You have access to some information from the research department (material, traits), you add the information needed for the test (samples, plants, tissues, reagents, markers) and generate automatically a sample collection form. The order of the items can be chosen wisely for you to avoid useless manipulations and therefore avoid errors and save time.

Can I organize my team work, and save time?

Yes, you can plan, organize and track work advancement per user, resource, work station, laboratory.

Describe your laboratory workstations and transmission of tasks (dilution, mixing, calibration, PCR, automata, data transfers) or materials (plates and wells in blocks). Especially useful for routine work such as production of molecular markers and analytical tests.

How to share identification of samples between lab and field?

Good organization of material identification and recognition is crucial to share real material in a multi area working system. Using labels to identify the source material can be very useful. The process of recognition can be even more optimized with the use of bar codes (managed by RnDExp) particularly to make an inventory of the list of samples shipped to be processed.

Material identification and labels management ensuring the integrity of data and facilitating the work flow are one of the key features included in RnDExp projects.

RnDExp™ is built around key concepts, at its foundation: standardization and  involutivity, ensuring consistency of processes and adaptiveness to new technologies. These traits are both useful for biotechnology laboratories independent or not, as they need to be very thorough and reactive to evolutions in biotechnology. 

Can I manage blind analysis?

RnDExp can manage multi identification depending on user profiles. Particularly generating generic sample ID which does not translate directly the nature/origin of the sample is possible through specific interfaces. They are only accessible for users in charge of entering results and who do not have the right to know the nature of the sample to ensure the objectivity of results.  

Can I track the processing steps required to prepare a sample to analyze?

Yes, all the laboratory steps can be set up, followed and monitored:

• The original material from where is processed a sample is already identified within RnDExp (planted into a RnDExp Experiment and/or inventoried into a RnDExp Stock).
• The user can build Protocols where will be configured all the processing steps (organized into stages > Operations > Tasks) required to generate a sample which will be the analyzed.
• User forms, actions traceability and User Access rights (per work stations for example) allow then to have an efficient workflow management for the generation of samples.

Particularly for genomic sequencing, a stock of reagents and containers can be inventoried, managed and tracked for the preparation of DNA sequences to be analyzed (e.g. PCR steps)

How do I communicate the results ?

Results can be automatically input in the database from the automata, or imported via Excel files. Then you can visualize, and eventually validate this data. The results are linked to the material and directly accessible from any other workstation (depending on user rights to see this information).