LabCollector intervenes on many points allowing the automation of laboratories. To know more about it you can visit our website.

One of the tools allowing automation with LabCollector is the Tube Sorter add-on. Receiving samples, positioning on a plate, creating instruction files for tube sorting robots, discover now how Tube Sorter can help you in your laboratory!

Tube Sorter add-on

What does this add-on do?

The Tube Sorter add-on allows you to organize the received samples or those in storage and place them on a work tray. The main application of this add-on is that it allows to automatically generate a sampling list and the necessary instruction files for the tube sorting robots. Many equipments are compatible with this add-on (for example: BioMicroLab, Fluidgim, Hamilton, Illumina) and many more are coming!

Find the list of equipment compatible with our solution.

Which tools are available?

Several tools within the same add-on are available in order to best meet all needs. Choose between 14 tools that are currently available for :

• Creating instruction files
• Generating samples manifest files
• Modifying existing plates

Connected to LabCollector Storage

This add-on is connected to the LabCollector storage. This implies a simplification of the processes. Indeed, once the samples are received thanks to Sample Receiving, the plates are already created with the location assigned to each sample in the storage. Generating a manifest file takes only a few minutes! The information about each plate is shared with Tube Sorter, where you can select the desired plate and generate the file automatically.

Interconnections between add-ons and LabCollector save considerable time and eliminate transcription errors.

How to use Tube Sorter?

Read our Knowledge Base to learn more about Tube Sorter.

Generate in one minute a sample manifest file

Merge 96 plates into 384 plate

Simplify automation with Tube Sorter

Simplify the creation of plate maps for your PCR with the Tube Sorter add-on. Select the option you need, and generate a file in a few clicks.

Your PCR machine, at the end of its run, will be able to generate an accurate result file with the location of each sample. No more transcription errors, Tube Sorter is an integral part of your laboratory automation.

The first genome sequencing took 10 years and cost more than 2 billion dollars. Today a whole genome/exome sequence costs about 1000 USD and takes only a few days – www.genome.gouv

The use of DNA is obviously very important in research but has also become a main staple in medicine, especially for precision medicine. Understanding DNA, its interactions, its function, was until now the only concern. For several years, DNA has been used to push the envelope even further; by detecting DNA’s variations and deducing a prognosis even before the physical appearance of symptoms or diseases states. DNA also plays a role in the environment which we refer to as eDNA (Environmental DNA). All these developments are putting additional pressure on laboratories in terms of cost, time and efficiency. So, how laboratories can do more with less?

AN ALL-IN-ONE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION FOR NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING

LabCollector LIMS is capable of supporting any type of NGS laboratory – research and diagnostic. It can support the evolving needs of each lab with a simple and efficient solution that can handle complex workflows and large volumes of data. From receiving requests and samples to sending reports, LabCollector is involved in every step of the sequencing process.

1. A simple way to receive and track samples

Receiving samples and tracking test progress has never been easier! Receiving samples is often a laborious task. With LabCollector this task becomes fast and easy:

• • • Accelerate sample accessioning and unpacking of large quantity of packages of samples received with Sample Receiving & Plating add-on
    • Manage the storage of plates/boxes
    • Identify each sample with specific barcode creation
    • Integrate with 2D rack scanner, and connection with printer and barcode reader
    • Plating mode: verify samples before adding to plates, with update and create records

Sample Receiving & Plating add-on interface

All this allows you to create and manage a hierarchical and organized storage, ideal to find all your samples anywhere and anytime. It’s a huge time saver!

2. Real time test tracking

Being able to track the progress of each ongoing test in real time is a must in laboratories performing genetic testing. Each test is unique, all data must be linked to the right test and the right samples. To do this, LabCollector uses the Lab Service Manager add-on. Simple and easy to use, it allows any laboratory with many tests to perform, to follow in real time the progress of each test for each sample.

• • • Link between Sample Receiving & Plating and LSM for more efficient tracking of sample status
    • Real-time monitoring of the progress of each test
    • Receive requests on LSM from an external portal (read more about our LSMRemote portal)
    • Start workflows directly from the LSM add-on
    • Creation of report and invoice templates
    • Automatic generation of reports and invoices
    • And much more!

Lab Service Manager is a complete add-on! This add-on allows you to manage many time-saving tasks and make your lab even more agile!

3. Create and manage complex processing and QC workflows

The choice of a LIMS for a laboratory using NGS techniques can be complex! You need a solution that is able to manage complex and numerous workflows. The Workflow Manager add-on is the ideal add-on!

• • • Intuitive graphical designer
    • Free creation of workflows
    • Link with LabCollector modules and add-ons to better manage storage, samples etc.
    • A dashboard summarizing the entire workload
    • GxP compliance
    • Possibility to validate certain important steps
    • Recording of all work done and in progress

Workflow Manager add-on interface – Master Workflow Template / Workflow Template

Using Workflow Manager, standardization of processes becomes simple. From sample preparation to quality control, all workflows can be created and monitored directly within this add-on.

4. Integrate your lab instruments and automate your work

The management of the large amount of data created by NGS is an extremely important point for any laboratory wishing to invest time and money in these techniques. Thus, when using a sequencer, it is very important to retrieve the data as a whole and in a correct way. This can be difficult when using multiple processing intermediaries to manage the transmission of data from the machine to the analysis software.

To avoid this hassle, LabCollector has developed a tool, I-Collector, that allows any type of laboratory instrument or remote softwares to be integrated directly into LabCollector LIMS. The data is then parsed and available directly on LabCollector.

• • • Integrate your instruments to LabCollector such as PCR or NGS (check our list of already integrated instruments)
    • Integrate remote softwares to LabCollector
    • Ensure data integrity and compliance
    • Send data directly to LSM
    • Handles everything from simple file parsing to complex bidirectional communication
    • Supports all protocols (RS232, USB, TCP/IP, files).
    • Ready-to-use instrumentation plugins

YOUR END-TO-END SOLUTION FOR NGS

The use of genetic analysis techniques will continue to grow! Managing all of this data in a simple and above all compliant way is a challenge that must be met. With LabCollector LIMS for NGS, the solution is simple, flexible and above all adaptable to the needs of each laboratory.

Smooth storage management, real-time work and sample tracking, clear and precise workflows, lab automation and so much more!

Contact us today to learn more about what we can offer to your laboratory!

REQUEST A QUOTE FOR OUR LABCOLLECTOR NGS PACK NOW!

Lab inventory management

Version 6.0…What’s new?

Let it be a laptop, computer, or be software…Stylish is the new normal! We are happy to introduce our LabCollector v6.0 with a responsive interface and refashioned design and refreshed stylish look in over a decade. Are you a researcher? I bet you would love to see an attractive user interface on any software. LabCollector v6.0 for sure is now easy on the eyes!

Good things come to those who wait… and the wait was worth it!

What makes the new LabCollector v6.0 so special?

We all know the struggle of webpages not adjusting on different sizes of screens or mobile. The new trend is easy on the eyes….easy on the mind!

This is exactly what our new version 6.0 offers. A new revamped interface with responsive design makes LabCollector the ultimate LIMS for labs!

Let it be your laptop, computer or your phone LabCollecter v6.0 is now OMNIPRESENT with a revamped design and responsive screen. Responsive LabCollector design makes web pages render well on a variety of devices and window or screen size. its the need of the hour after all….LabCollector v6.0 is compatible with all types of screens.

What’s in it for you?

Just the NEW LOOK was not enough for us! We wanted to make sure that we make your experience with LabCollector more adaptive & memorable. Our teams have developed various new features that will allow LabCollector to adapt to your lab needs much more swiftly. You can now save your “searches” and memorize them & use it later. Moreover, so let’s look at the highlights of some new features.

Improved security

If you are a researcher from academia, pharmaceutical, or a biotech company, I am sure you are worried about your important files and folders being accessible to others. For exactly this reason LabCollector v6.0 now makes sure that no one can tamper with your documents or data anymore. You no more have to worry about your research data getting leaked. We provide reinforced security with:

• PHP 7.x compatibility for accessing files & folders. Moreover, PHP configurations make LabCollector secure now more than ever.
• A strong password is one of the goals for security and avoids data breaches. LabCollector now uses strong password rules (legacy, SHA, SHA 256+).
• Who doesn’t want to be more efficient in their work! But with all the applications one uses its tiring to remember all passwords! This is where the Single Sign On (SSO) function comes as our savior. It simply means login in your computer and you automatically log in to your computer and you are automatically logged in in all the applications you use. LabCollector now offers more configurable options with SSO that improves security, reduces password fatigue, and enhances identity protection.
• Do you fear losing all your data? After all, computers or mobile are not invincible! All that hard work and research just erased if your computer hard disk is corrupted. Not to worry anymore, LabCollector now offers automatic data backup that backs up your data in a safe place where you can access it later.

Better Configuration

Do you like customizable configuration settings on your phone, computer, or laptop? As a researcher do you like organizing experiments or data the way you like? Of course, you do! Who doesn’t like to customize things according to their choices? Now imagine this freedom for configuration to organize your lab! With LabCollector v6.0 you can:

• Design your home page as per your choice.
• Customize configuration according to each user (Superadmin/admin/users, etc)  in LabCollector.
• Create custom modules for data inventory.
• Reorder the fields inside the modules.
• Activate or deactivate custom field types for any module.
• Search easily with advanced options.
• Import existing data with ease.
• Prepare reagent recipes (for e.g. buffers) with traceable consumption of reagents.

New User & Groups features

Do you have different teams in the lab working on different projects? Don’t you want the choice for different permissions levels for different groups in the lab? User settings are now made better and feasible in the new LabCollector v6.0.

• It allows you to choose the logic of permissions between different groups.
• You can now import users (including LDAP users) easily using CSV.
• Lab users can now have a badge employee ID with the help of LabCollector.

Easy Purchase order Management

Do you want to purchase new reagents for your lab? Are you tired of the long purchase processes? Not to worry! LabCollector helps you to create purchase orders and buy reagents/supplies very easily. The purchase order management in LabCollector v6.0 offers you many new exciting features:

• Improved risks & safety setup for hazardous chemicals and their approval before purchase.
• Creation of quotes and linking them to orders.
• Creation of barcodes of your choice for ‘lots’.
• Derivation/Movement of “lot” for more than one unit which was not possible in the previous version.

Lab Automation & New add-ons/utilities

File from lab instruments is often not easy to interpret. Therefore connecting lab instruments to LabCollector offers lab automation thereby also decreasing human errors. You can connect your lab instruments to LabCollector with a help of add-ons and middleware that helps interpret the complex result files from instruments and integrates them in LabCollector.

• Lab instruments can be connected using our middleware I-Collector. (*read more on our blog about I-Collector).
• Our add-ons like Win2Parser, tube sorter, etc help in parsing complex instrument files into a simple format like CSV.
• ‘Order manager’ is a new add-on by LabCollector that help you keep a track of all your lab orders for reagents and supplies.
• We often upload files in LIMS LabCollector. However, in any LIMS software, we can rarely edit the files. LabCollector offers its new utility called Fileconnector where you can edit a file in realtime. (*read more on our blog about file connector).

Effortless Storage Organization

Are your reagent stocks running low? Not sure which reagent quantity has reached its minimum or maximum level? Every lab uses 1000’s of reagents and supplies and keeping track of their usage is not an easy task to achieve. Nothing to fear when LabCollector is here. LabCollector v6.0 allows you to have top-notch storage management. You can now:-

• Manage more easily the storage for reagents & supplies.
• Set alerts for Minimum & maximum quantity of reagents and supplies that are being used up.
• Create alerts for tubes (cells, primers, plasmids, etc) reaching minimum quantity as well as the expiration date.
• Minimize the risk of tubes getting contaminated due to continuous thaw and freeze cycles? v6.0 now allows the display of the number of thaw cycles performed on the tubes. So after a certain amount of thaw cycles you can discard the tubes and minimize contamination and delay in your experiments.
• Display of vials storage location & the total stock of straws & tubes is now available with LabCollector v6.0.

New LabCollector v6.0

Try our LabCollector v6.0 today!

Image/Graphics Credits: – Icons from www.flaticon.com – Graphics from https://fr.freepik.com/

With today’s advancing lab processes with LIMS software, instrument integration has become an essential part of lab automation. Moreover, labs that need to follow regulations laid by the FDA or ISO, etc need to be more vigilant in their lab workflow. Manual errors can create various hurdles for such labs. Most of the lab processes are today made sophisticated and organized by LIMS such as LabCollector. However, collecting data from instruments and analyzing it, is still something difficult, to attain for many labs. Thus automated data acquisition is becoming a need for every lab. Generally, any instrument can be communicated with the help of API (Application Programming Interface). API communicates with the instrument, by giving commands using a ‘middleware’ application. However, one needs to create commands, by using scripting programming languages, to process the files. This is a work for a developer, which consumes a lot of time and needs to be scripted according to respective instruments. I-Collector is ready to use ‘middleware’ that eases the process of communicating with several laboratory instruments.

Check our webpage to read more about I-Collector automation by LabCollector!

Applications

Plugins

Check our webpage to see the list of instruments compatible with I-Collector

Check out all LabCollector v6.0 today!

To help set up LabCollector v6.0 please refer to our Manuals and our Knowledgebase.

Image/Graphics Credits: –Icons from https://flaticon.com/

In the fast-growing world, where every industry’s endeavor is to balance the supply and demand of things, automation has proven to be a boon to achieve these goals. Although lab automation is being widely practiced nowadays, the initiation of laboratories using automated machines was pioneered long back in the 1980s. Since then automation has become one of the necessities of today’s research practices. Even though various academic labs still occasionally rely on automation, test labs, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries have rapidly evolved themselves to automate their research labs. Right from receiving the samples to its storage and final usage in assays is now being documented with the help of machines and software that help labs automate these processes thus making them efficient.

If you are a researcher you can visualize easily making an inventory of samples, reagents, assays, etc manually, repeating the same process which ate up a lot of productive time. You could have done an experiment during that period or other necessary things. A Ph.D. student or a post-doctorate or any researcher can relate to such situations, where they have wasted hours in tracking a reagent, sample, or making inventories manually. Owing Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and automation tools offered by them have changed the laboratory management tremendously over the decades.

LabCollector LIMS allows you to bring all the laboratory information in one place.

It’s not just the automated tools but LIMS that help connect the machines to one main anchor such as LabCollector thereby linking every process in the lab & achieve complete lab automation. Imagine if the machines just sort your sample or reagents or perform assays for you! You will have to use these samples or reagents or results from the machines to complete your experiments or analyze your results. Every researcher can relate to doing experiments, for example using a PCR machine and then analyzing its data in excel sheets to make graphs. Here, you would have to take the results in USB key from the computer near the machine or transfer to a common folder to copy the machine results and then analyze them on your computer. This way only a part of the lab is automated and the rest still depends on manual prowess which is prone to human errors. Thus every lab needs LIMS software which helps in achieving Laboratory automation. LabCollector serves this purpose where researchers can attain the lab automation by various tools and add-ons that it offers.

Check our webpage on Laboratory automation by LabCollector!

LabCollector helps with lab automation by offering:-

Sample management

• Complete sample management starting from the sample receiving to tracking the sample for example, in which tests it was used. Our powerful add-ons and tools such as samples and Strains & cells module, rack scanners, tube sorter, sample to batch tool help your laboratory attain successful sorting and managing your samples.
• Barcode feature allows you to generate customized barcodes thus making samples tracking a piece of a cake. You can visit our website storage accessories to buy compatible sprinters and barcode scanners.

Buy your tubes rack scanners directly on our online shop.

Lab inventory management

• Modules like reagents & supplies, primers, sequences, antibodies, plasmids, chemical structures help you create a hassle-free inventory system. You can integrate all the details relevant to the reagents or supplies needed in the lab.
• Our purchase order management tool helps you track the order and purchase of reagents or supplies that in minimum quantity or are expired. LabCollector creates alerts for such components thereby making it easier to track lab supplies.
• The recipe manager tool helps you keep track of reagents used in making recipes. For example, if you are making Tris-HCl buffer, you can track amounts that are used up in making such recipes so that you are aware of the reagents used up.
• The storage tool helps you mark down the location of all your samples, products, everything that you use in your lab. You can create storage places like a cupboard, or racks or liquid nitrogen containers, freezers, refrigerators, etc to mark the location of your reagents or samples making tracking of the lab supplies much easier.

Experiments / Assays / tests management

• The equipment module helps you to register all your laboratory equipment with its location, maintenance, etc. All the documents related to any instrument, for example, like, calibration or maintenance reports can be uploaded in documents module or can be uploaded in the equipment modules itself.
• Lab Service Management (LSM) add-on is very useful for tests lab offers as it documents and processes tests and generation of reports. Starting from the sample to creating tests and parameters that lab technicians can follow, to the completion and validation of tests is all performed inside LSM. Moreover, it also helps labs to create invoices and keep track of all the tests cost and sending invoices to the clinics/hospitals for the tests performed.
• For a more stringent environment of the lab, our workflow add-on offers precise follow-up of standardized steps in a lab that requires supervisor validations. This can be very useful in drug development labs where every step of experiments require supervisors validations.
• All the assays or experiments or tests performed can be written down in our electronic lab notebook add-on (ELN) which is the replacement of paper lab notebook. ELN allows you to draw graphs, plates temples or link the locations used in the experiment to their rightful location

Instrument integration & data acquisition

• LabCollector offers various add-ons such as I-Colletor, Parser, Win2Parser that help in instrument integration and thus help in automated data acquisition thereby removing manual error while data collection. I-Collector can help the integration of instruments like qPCR and others that help acquire data by parsing directly on your computer.
• Moreover, LabCollector’s custom API feature lab, automation, and integration of data from instruments become more smooth thereby decreasing manual errors in data collection.
• Photobank uploader add-on helps in automated image acquisition which can be useful for saving heavy microscopy images.

LabCollector LIMS helps connect all lab processes!

Check out all LabCollector v6.0 today!

To help set up LabCollector v6.0 please refer to our Manuals and our Knowledgebase

We are launching LabCollector v6.0 with all new and exciting features.
We promised you to stay tuned with us for more information…….here is our other sensational feature in LabCollector v6.0…File Connector!

Uploading and editing documents became a whole lot easier with our new tool File Connector.

File Connector enables you to connect to different file editing systems allowing you to edit any file type easily and swiftly in real-time!

This means you no more have to worry about downloading or uploading documents to edit them.

The main feature of File Connector is that the file that is stored on the remote server of LabCollector, can be edited locally as needed and sent back to the LabCollector server on each save!

We never really realize that we do so many steps just for editing a file…..Right? and what if you uploaded the wrong file or forgot to save the edited version.
Moreover, what if your computer shuts down…battery dead, some issue!!! Does your file gets uploaded then? So many things that can go wrong which could cost you a lot of time.

To make file editing quicker and reliable, we have launched our new File connector software that saves you from all this hassle and makes editing any file easier and time-saving for you. Our file connector uses the TCP/IP settings to allow communication between two or more computers thereby making editing files easier even remotely.

All you have to do is open the file you want to edit and edit it. The rest is taken care of by our File Connector.

If you are using LabCollector and its add-ons such as Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) or Lab service Management (LSM) then you can imagine you will store the required documents with each record that you create.

For example, in ELN you can imagine storing an Adobe illustrator file for making high graphic diagrams or Photoshop to create paper worthy images or to store excel files, pdf documents, word documents containing protocols, or recipes or any raw result data. 

Our LSM is perfect for labs that carry our various tests and one can imagine uploading various word files with some reagent recipes or pdf files that could be needed during the tests or the results carrying excel file after the tests are performed. 

Whenever you wish to add or edit data to such files, what would be your first step generally?
Download, save, edit, save, upload and so on. right?

You no more have to go through this long time-consuming procedure. Our File connector reduces all these steps and lets you edit and upload the file in real-time. You don’t have to worry if during file editing you close the software accidentally or if you forgot to save. The file connector saves these files in the list when you reopen the file connector with the information of when the file was stored or modified.
Until you remove the file from by giving the “Discard” command, the file will be saved in the file connector.

You can even specify the software to open and edit the file in. It gives you the flexibility to choose the settings for which software you want chose to work with using the mask editor option.  (click on the link in the sentence to check out our Knowledgebase)

Editing files can make life much easier!

As long as you have specific software installed on your computer you can use it to edit your file.

To sum up, our File Connector offers you the versatility to adapt yourself to various file formats making it easy to store and edit data more smoothly.

Check out all LabCollector v6.0 today!

To help set up LabCollector v6.0 please refer to our Manuals and our Knowledgebase.

MacOS version….Coming soon….Stay tuned!

Graphics Credits: –

Graphics from https://fr.freepik.com/