Biotrue Introduces Collaborative Data Management System for Biomedical Research Laboratories
Biotrue Inc. today announced the commercial availability of its Collaborative Data Management System (CDMS), an innovative productivity solution for scientists at biomedical research laboratories and institutions. Biotrue’s CDMS is an easy-to-use, cost-effective software system for capturing, storing, managing and retrieving the vast quantities of data generated by modern research instruments. While it improves the accessibility and security of data, the CDMS also provides significant productivity enhancements to speed the progress of research in both academic and commercial laboratories.
Antony Chiang, Biotrue co-founder and CEO, said, “We are addressing a critical need for a cost-effective solution for managing the explosion of data in biomedical research. We believe Biotrue offers the first solution to combine a proven, robust Web-enabled architecture with the flexibility to handle practically any data type from any instrument. The CDMS goes beyond laboratory information management systems (LIMS) by addressing the movement and management of both raw data and metadata. Biotrue’s solution easily serves small and large laboratories and fosters collaboration in biomedical research environments like never before.”
Biotrue designed the CDMS for academic researchers and nonprofit institutes, as well as commercial researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Unlike prior data management products in this sector, such as traditional laboratory information management systems (LIMS), the CDMS from Biotrue handles biomedical research data from virtually any type of instrument and, as a Web-enabled application, facilitates easy and secure collaboration within and across laboratories.
Designed By Experts To Address A Clear Need
Biotrue developed the CDMS in response to needs clearly articulated by biomedical researchers. The product was developed in part with grants from the National Institutes of Health. Scientists at nationally prominent research facilities, including University of California, San Francisco, The J. David Gladstone Institutes, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and San Francisco General Hospital, consulted in the development of the CDMS, participated as beta users, and now use the CDMS in production.
Marty Bigos, Flow Cytometry Core Lab Director at the Gladstone Institutes, said of Biotrue, “Instrument makers have not addressed the issues of data proliferation, and scientists struggle to handle the ever-increasing amounts of data that these instruments generate. Biotrue not only helps us keep track of critical data, but significantly improves the utilization of expensive lab equipment.”
Another design contributor and co-founder of Biotrue, William Hyun of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, noted, “Biotrue’s CDMS has revolutionized the way we manage data at the Laboratory for Cell Analysis. Researchers using the CDMS can easily upload and download instrument and any other data through a web browser. They no longer need to burn CDs or other portable media, even to share data outside the lab. The CDMS gives our core lab critical functionality that we could not get before, at any price.”
Full Functionality/Easy to Implement and Use
The Biotrue CDMS offers a wide range of functionality that enables laboratories and researchers to:
– Capture, store and manage primary biomedical research data and associated metadata from a wide variety of instruments, including flow cytometers and confocal microscopes, as well as standard file types such as Acrobat, Excel and Word
– Enable secure collaboration anywhere with an Internet connection and web browser
– Easily retrieve historical data for verification, audit or new analyses
– Go beyond the limited functionality of traditional LIMS or laboratory information management systems to manage primary research data
– Improve preservation and security of irreproducible data and analyses
– Increase the progress rate of research studies
– Raise utilization rates for expensive, heavily demanded instruments
– Ensure continuity of research even when personnel change
Deployment of the CDMS is simple and economical, as the requirements are a Linux server and an IP address. Server certification for Mac OS, Solaris and Windows are expected by the fourth quarter of 2004. The system is certified for clients running Windows 2000 and better or Mac OS X, and is Linux-compatible.
About Biotrue
Biotrue develops affordable and effective solutions for managing the explosion of data in biomedical research. Biotrue’s premier data management product is the Collaborative Data Management System (CDMS). The CDMS is designed to simplify the capture, storage, and organization of all types of data, facilitate integration of raw data from instruments with analytical applications, and foster collaboration. Biotrue is based in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.biotrue.net .
Biotrue is a registered trademark, and CDMS and Collaborative Data Management System are trademarks, of Biotrue Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. (C) 2004 Biotrue Inc. All rights reserved.
