lab manager may 2015
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Magazine about LaboratoriesTRANSCRIPT
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CONTROL
SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL START-UP LAB
May 2015 Volume 10 Number 4
LabManager.com
Selecting a SaaS LIMS
LATEST LAB APPS ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO ACCESS THEIR INSTRUMENTS FROM ALMOST ANYWHERE
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4 Lab Manager May 2015 LabManager.com
contentsMay 2015LabManager.com
leadership & staffi ng26 Rewards and Recognition
Laboratory leaders are tasked with the diffi cult responsibility of not only attracting but also maintaining talented individuals as satisfi ed employees. To alleviate workforce stress levels and boost morale, those in charge must acknowledge their employees contributions. Sara Goudarzi
technology30 Selecting a SaaS LIMS
Before you can start deciding on which LIMS to get, you fi rst have to deter-mine what type of LIMS you want. Price, access, reliability, and more must be considered before making the fi nal decision. John Joyce
health & safety34 Blown Away!
The chemical fume hood is probably the single most-used piece of equipment in research laboratories. This months column covers proper use of a fume hoods design features along with proper operational setup. Vince McLeod
feature10 Remote Control
While this years new app releases have added even more benefi ts to those working in the lab, the most recent trend has been all about helping laboratory professionals even when they are outside the lab. Rachel Muenz
business management22 Secrets of a Successful Start-Up Lab
Many labs start out as entrepreneurial ventures to develop new tech-nology. As such, a start-up lab has entrepreneurial requirements that must be met in order for it to successfully develop into a full-fl edged business. Lina Genovesi
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instruments accessories software solutionswww.gilson.comDownload Speaking Volumes, our interactive publication for your tablet! instruments accessories software solutions
You pick. You succeed.Our pipettor selection is unsurpassed in meeting your needs for a variety of applications and techniques. Put the trust of Gilson quality and reproducibility in your hands.
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6 Lab Manager May 2015 LabManager.com
Lab Manager (ISSN: 1931-3810) is published 11 times per year; monthly with combined issues in January/Feb-ruary, by LabX, P.O. Box 216, 478 Bay Street, Midland, ON Canada L4R 1K9. USPS 024-188 Periodical Postage Paid at Fulton, MO 65251 and at an additional mailing offi ce. A requester publication, Lab Manager, is distributed to qualifi ed subscribers. Non-qualifi ed subscription rates in the U.S. and Canada: $120 per year. All other countries: $180 per year, payable in U.S. funds. Back issues may be purchased at a cost of $15 each in the U.S. and $20 else-where. While every attempt is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its employees cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of information supplied, advertisements or opinions ex-pressed. 2013 Lab Manager by Geocalm Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.
WDS Canadian return: P.O. Box 216, 478 Bay Street, Midland, ON Canada L4R 1K9.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Lab Manager, PO Box 2015, Skokie, Il 60076.
WHATS NEW WITH OUR PRODUCT RESOURCE GUIDE?We here at Lab Manager have already gotten a head start on our upcoming Product Resource Guide, which will hit mailboxes and inboxes in August. Keep an eye out for a cleaner, more streamlined layout to make finding key product purchasing information even easier than before, along with updated Questions to Ask lists to help deliver even more factors to consider when buying lab products. This years guide will include a new manufacturer directory at the back of the book, making tracking down product vendors a snap. Youll also find the most up-to-date survey data on the products featured in the guide, as well as information about our online Product Finders to help you find the right prod-uct for your lab.
FIND OUR FAKE AD AND WIN! More info on page 88
laboratory product reportsMay 2015
analytical tools & techniques
life science tools & techniques
laboratory tools & techniques
in every issue
LabManager.com
38 Ask the ExpertA discussion on analyzing and inter-preting mass spectral data.
Rachel Muenz
42 Brown eld Assessment & RemediationA tangled web of custody, access, and analysis.Angelo DePalma
46 MS for Clinical MicrobiologyKey benefi ts make this technology indispensable in health care.Mike May
48 UV-Vis SurveyFind out which applications are most popular and more in our latest survey results. Trevor Henderson
52 Ask the ExpertA discussion of trends in high-content screening.
Tanuja Koppal
54 GMO DetectionThose in favor and those against all need sophisticated technology.Mike May
58 Microplates for Cell-Based AssaysBalancing assay speed, reading sensi-tivity, and culture conditions.Angelo DePalma
60 Pipettes SurveyLearn which types are most common and more in our latest results. Trevor Henderson
62 Hydrogen GeneratorsThe most abundant element is not al-ways easily captured. Mike May
64 To LIMS or Not to LIMS?Assessing needs, avoiding pitfalls.Angelo DePalma
66 Cold Storage SurveyFind out what our readers purchasing plans are and more in these results.Trevor Henderson
67 Vacuum Pumps SurveyLearn the most common types our read-ers use and more in the latest results.Trevor Henderson
18 Lab Manager Academy The Art of Selling Yourself for Success Mj Callaway, CSP
20 Science Matters Great Brand Recognition Is Its Own Reward Mark Lanfear
68 How it Works An Online Lab Equipment Rental Marketplace
70 Technology News The latest equipment, instruments, and system introductions to the laboratory market.
This month, we highlight companies that will be exhibiting at ASM 2015 and ASMS 2015.
89 Pre-owned Equipment Marketplace
89 Advertisers Index
90 Lab Manager Online
2016RESOUR
CE GUIDE
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PHARMACEUTICAL n HEALTH SCIENCES n FOOD n ENVIRONMENTAL n CHEMICAL MATERIALS
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INFORMATICS AND SOFTWARE
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8 Lab Manager May 2015 LabManager.com
editor-in-chief
Pamela [email protected]
associate editor
Rachel [email protected] x233
technology editor
Trevor [email protected] x291
contributors
Angelo DePalma, PhDMark LanfearSara GoudarziTanuja Koppal, PhDF. Key KidderJoe LiscouskiVince McLeod, CIHRonald B. PickettBernard TulsiMike May, PhD
art director & production manager
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editors note
Those of a certain age remember talking on the telephone in one room attached to a very short cord. And if you were a teenager in those days, it meant stretching that cord far enough so that your conversation was out of earshot of parents and siblings. While this scenario might be showcased in the Smithsonian Institutions olden days gallery, so too will current laboratory equipment operations. This months cover story delivers the not surprising news that the use of smartphones and tablets to remotely manage laboratory equipment and operations is accelerating at a remark-able rate. If you purchase something without this level of net-work connectivity, you could be without its capability for possibly ten or more years. The impact on workfl ow, lab budgets, and the timely delivery of results will increase over time, says Beckman Coulters Randy Pawlovich.
If your plans are of a more entrepreneurial nature, such as starting a new lab, turn to this months Business Management article on page 22. Here author Lina Genovesi explains the basics of getting that process started. She also describes a trend toward starting a lab as a virtual enterprise, using contract services and only a few key employees. The virtual and partially virtual mod-els, which offer an alternative for effi cient use of resources while accomplishing key milestones, have gained favor in the past ten years, says biotechnology entrepreneur James Sharpe.
When it comes to programs for rewarding and recognizing your staff, one size defi nitely does not fi t all, as we learn in this months Leadership & Staffi ng article on page 26. From public recognition, to cash, to paid time off, to parties, to tuition reimbursement, there is a myriad of options to choose fromthe success of which depends on your labs unique culture.
Software as a Service (SaaS), a software licensing and delivery model in which software is centrally hosted and licensed on a sub-scription basis, has been available for many years, with demand for this model growing. To fi nd out whether SaaS might be the right LIMS option for your lab, turn to page 30.
Technology insights this month look at the tools and techniques used in brownfi eld assessment and remediation and GMO detec-tion, while product focus articles look at mass spec for clinical mi-crobiology, microplates for cell-based assays, hydrogen generators, and LIMS. More laboratory product information can be found in our Technology News section, which this month introduces a new laboratory services category.
We hope you fi nd all of this months offerings interesting and useful.
Best,
P.O. Box 216, 478 Bay Street, Midland, ON, Canada L4R 1K9
Pamela AhlbergEditor-in-Chief
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LATEST LAB APPS ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO ACCESS THEIR INSTRUMENTS FROM ALMOST ANYWHERE BY RACHEL MUENZ
Over the past few years that weve covered labo-ratory gadgets and apps, weve continued to see this area grow and become more accepted in the lab. While this years releases have added even more benefi ts to those working in the lab, the most recent trend has been all about helping laboratory professionals even when they are outside the lab.
One recent example is Beckman Coulters MobileF-uge app for its Optima XPN and Avanti JXN centrifuges that allows users to keep an eye on the status of up to 16 centrifuges from anywhere with an Internet connection. Once their centrifuges are confi gured so that they are al-ways connected to a labs IT network, users can monitor and modify speed, run time, and temperature. MobileF-uge also enables users to monitor diagnostic information.
Randy Pawlovich, director of product management, centrifugation, at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, says the company had three main goals in designing the app, with freeing up scientists time being the main one.
The MobileFuge does this by enabling scientists not only to prep runs at any time but [also] initiate them from wherever they are located, Pawlovich explains.
The second objective was to provide additional work-fl ow support for production or cGMP environments, so that scientists can receive an immediate electronic noti-fi cation if an issue occurs with the instrument during a run, such as a problem caused by a power outage.
Last, the company saw the use of personal technol-ogy as a means of extending the facilities of the lab by bringing some functions to the customers, wherever they were located, and at a time to suit them.
Similarly, Panasonic launched the cold storage industrys fi rst app-based lab monitoring system, LabAlert, at the end of 2014, allowing users to keep an eye on their laboratory freezers or biorepositories 24/7 from their homes or smart-phones. This means that if disaster strikesa freezer failure, for exampleusers are notifi ed right away and given the information they need to make the best decisions possible.
With LabAlert, an infi nite number of probes can be in-stalled in equipment such as biorepositories or freezers, pull-ing together data from diverse geographic sites, Panasonic says in a recent Lab Manager How It Works article. LabAlert equipment independently logs continuous temperature, CO2 readings, opened doors and more. Each probe sends data to a local receiver, and the data is then transmitted to the cloud and accessible through a web-based platform.
remote control
Beckman Coulters Avanti JXN-30 centri-fuge is one of the models that can be controlled and monitored remotely through the companys MobileFuge app.
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12 Lab Manager May 2015 LabManager.com
The system also sends specifi c alarms to a users smartphone or tablet, depending on the severity of the emergency, detailing how the user should respond and how quickly he or she should do so. Apps like this could mean the difference between losing or saving hundreds of critical, irreplaceable samples.
LabAlert and MobileFuge arent the only remote monitoring options out there, as SCIEX launched its StatusScope service in June 2014 that supports most SCIEX mass spectrometers and Eksigent Micro and Nano LC products. With three user levelslab manager, lab director and technicianthe system enables users to view instrument performance and workfl ow status remotely from their smartphones, capturing errors quickly to mini-mize downtime.
Like LabAlert, StatusScope features a variety of different alarm triggers, though users can choose these themselves, and notifi cation processes that are communicated to the SCIEX Technical Assistance Center, where the SCIEX team can help quickly resolve any problems.
This service was built from the ground up with input from our customers, explains Andy Wight, director of the service product portfolio for SCIEX. Users can ac-
cess and monitor their instruments from anywhere, via a smartphone or other device over the Internet, in addition to having instrument history at hand.
Steve Sylvester, a researcher at Astra Zeneca, was pleased by his experience with the service.
Having a holistic system to incorporate all periph-eral devices and to document system maintenance and changes (e.g., switching of peripheral devices) is the holy grail for our regulated environment, he says.
Most recently, at Pittcon 2015 in New Orleans, LECO announced that it will be including an option for mobile viewing with its Cornerstone brand software for its new 832 series of sulfur/carbon analyzers. Cornerstone Mobile pro-vides access to data, plots, and instrument status from the users smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer, and works with either Android or Apple smartphones or tablets.
Those concerned about security issues with such mobile access apps can rest easy, as the majority have security fea-tures such as password protection built in, allowing lab man-agers to restrict access to certain information and provide controls to only those with the proper security clearance.
Inside and outWhile remote/mobile access is a key trend weve
identifi ed in this years crop of apps, there have also been several releases that help lab professionals within the lab as well. Just last month, MaestroGen released a smart lab device called iTrack, a pipetting tracking tool that is completely controlled and powered by an 8" An-droid tablet. The device is smart since it aims to solve pipetting errors by knowing actual pipetting locations through the use of optical sensors to detect the loca-tions, then fl agging those locations with sounds and lights and recording every pipetting movement in a log fi le.
SCIEXs StatusScope service, launched in summer 2014, supports most SCIEX mass spectrometers and Eksigent Micro and Nano LC products.
Panasonic launched its app-based lab monitoring system, LabAlert, at the end of 2014.
LECOs Cornerstone Mobile option for its 832 series of sulfur/carbon analyzers provides access to data, plots, and instrument status from a users smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.
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Smart devices are usually controlled by hand gestures, says Andrew Lin, marketing manager for MaestroGen. Like human fingers, pipettes can be detected by optical touch-screen technol-ogies. He adds that the Android tablet can be used as a stand-alone tablet for other lab tasks.
Another recently released gadget that helps both in and outside the lab is Micronics handheld wireless 1D/2D code reader, the MINI, which allows users to read 1D and 2D tube and rack codes almost instantly. The sys-tems high-capacity lithium-polymer battery provides a minimum of 15,000 2D scans or approximately 17,000 1D scans per charge (10 to 12 hours of continuous use) and is easily recharged through a USB connection. It is also Bluetooth-enabled for iOS, Android and Win-dows compatibility, meaning the instruments output can be read directly into a LIMS, a PC Excel spreadsheet, or Notepad.
Other apps released over the past year focus on providing users with more information about possible equipment purchases or other changes to their labs. Sartorius ambr15 iPad app, for instance, provides users with an iBrochure that provides an overview of TAP Biosystems new ambr15 micro bioreactor, giving bioprocess profes-sionals a chance to familiarize themselves with the system before purchase, no matter where they are.
Bioprocessing professionals like to share information on their iPads with colleagues and
MaestroGens iTrack smart pipetting tracking tool.
Micronics handheld wireless 1D/2D code reader, the MINI.
Apps like this could mean the difference between losing or saving hundreds of critical, irreplaceable samples.