Laboratory Informatics (LI) refers to information technology that is specifically developed to optimize laboratory operations.
Laboratory Informatics (LI) refers to information technology that is
specifically developed to optimize laboratory operations. It mainly
deals with the application of information technology to automate
different tasks in a laboratory that include gathering, storage
classification, retrieval, and dissemination of information.
A Brief Look at Laboratory Informatics:
Laboratory Informatics
focuses on different aspects of core technologies used in a
laboratory. Modern labs are equipped with different technologies that
need to be integrated to create a full-fledged system. The technology
focuses on every aspect of laboratory administration, which includes
compliance with governance policies, intellectual property protection,
data warehousing, knowledge management, LIMS, and electronic laboratory
notebooks.
Laboratory Informatics has gained critical importance
because of the wide use of LIMS in different industries. Modern LIMs
have different applications and are used in diverse industries such as
the pharmaceutical, clinical trials, analytical testing, manufacturing,
public health, medical devices, biotech, and forensics sectors. The
generic LIMS cannot prove useful in all applications. Laboratory
Informatics focuses on the development of new technologies that help
create customized LIMS for different applications that can efficiently
handle all functions of a laboratory in different industries.
Why Laboratory Informatics has gained Importance
Modern
laboratories use different kinds of databases and software to collect,
analyze, and store information produced in a laboratory. Some of the
software programs used in a laboratory include cheminformatics software,
bioinformatics software, LIMS, and other kinds of software. In simple
words, Laboratory Informatics covers all software used in laboratories
today.
Companies involved in creating lifesaving drugs greatly
rely on the research work done in their laboratories. Without Laboratory
Informatics, the laboratory staff gets burdened with converting
humungous data produced in a laboratory into reports that can be used by
all levels of management of an enterprise to make timely decisions.
Laboratory
Informatics focuses on integrating all technologies used in data mining
purposes to ensure that all laboratory data is available to management
for making the right business decisions. The technology sets the lab
staff free from data mining responsibilities, which allows them to focus
on their core research work in their domain.
A laboratory
produces several data formats that include image sequences, instrument
raw data files, spreadsheets, etc. The management of an enterprise is
always faced with a challenge to preserve and integrate several
different data formats. Laboratory Informatics plays a major role in the
integration of data that can be used by different levels of management.
Multinational
corporations have laboratories located all around the world. Laboratory
Informatics helps these companies configure their systems in a way such
that they need not manage these remotely located laboratories as
independent entities. LIMS
enables enterprises to speedily access and share enterprise data in
order to make quick and informed scientific decisions. Laboratory
Informatics’ ability to integrate different scientific tools is becoming
increasingly important for companies that strive to increase
productivity and tap markets worldwide.
While LIMS focuses
on optimization of all tasks and procedures performed in a laboratory,
Laboratory Informatics focuses on maximizing the capabilities of
technologies used in lab operations that will bring about more process
efficiency and enable companies to adopt the best practices.
