A fundamental question that many people new to the informatics world ask is “What does a LIMS do?” The real answer is the answer given by Shrek who when asked about the nature of ogres replied “ogres are like onions, they have layers”. You read correctly, LIMS are like onions; they too have layers.

The latest releases of QATrax Global and Enterprise Editions with Auto-Scheduling provide exponential improvements in the workflow automation of assigning and scheduling test lab resources, thereby dramatically improving test laboratory operating efficiency. Benefits include heightened visibility of projects, tests and schedules across the organization, resulting in faster time-to-market for new products.

Agilent Technologies Inc. today released Cartagenia Bench Lab 5.0, a major new version of its lab software with new capabilities for somatic variant classification and reporting.

Smiths Medical, a leading global medical device manufacturer, today launched version 1.1 of its PharmGuard interoperability software for use with Medfusion 4000 wireless syringe pumps. The new version allows bi-directional integration with IHE compatible EMR systems.

Sunquest Information Systems, Inc. announced today the acquisition of the Salt Lake City-based software firm UNIConnect® L.C. UNIConnect specializes in software for molecular laboratories and augments Sunquest's molecular diagnostics solution.

In recent years, a wide range of business intelligence (BI) technologies have been applied to different areas in order to support the decision-making process. BI enables the extraction of knowledge from the data stored. The healthcare industry is no exception, and so BI applications have been under investigation across multiple units of different institutions.

I recently received a call from a very nice municipal laboratory director and the conversation regarding LIMS, LIMS implementation, good LIMS implementers turned towards historical data. I laughed and thanked her for the idea of this article. I really should have thought of it. With virtually every LIMS sale whether it be to a municipality, commercial laboratory or university, the issue of historical data comes up.

Most laboratories purchasing a LIMS, if they are replacing an old LIMS or are buying their first, have been in operation for some time. As we are all aware, historical data generally must be kept on record for some period of time based on various regulations and is often wanted for general trending information. In many cases, that period of time is five years. So, now what?

Are you looking to improve processes within your pharmaceutical lab? Are you burdened with complex legacy systems that manage your quality samples, testing and allied business processes? With a LabVantage Pharma LIMS solution, you can enhance your laboratory efficiency, while reducing complexity and costs.

QIAGEN’s GeneReader NGS System streamlines data management for labs. New middleware co-developed with Genohm ensures full chain of custody from Sample to Insight and integrates with most LIMS systems.

Today Siemens Healthineers announced the launch of the Atellica(TM) PM 1.0 Software(1), a customizable process management solution that enables laboratories to oversee process data for their automation system, IT and connected instruments—thus simplifying management of day-to-day laboratory tasks.

Join us at the 2016 Annual Meeting of AMP, the Association for Molecular Pathology. The 2016 edition will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC, USA between November 10-12. You can find us at booth #227 of the Exhibit Hall Floor

Definiens, the leader in Tissue Phenomics® solutions from biomarker discovery to meaningful diagnostics, today announced a program collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals to enable comprehensive tissue-based analysis in clinical trials.

Title21 Health Solutions, a leading provider of easy-to-use, flexible and integrated data management solutions for health science organizations, is pleased to announce today's launch of its new website, www.Title21Health.com. The website includes a simplified and intuitive interface allowing visitors to easily browse the vast range of products and services Title21 Health Solutions delivers to the healthcare and life sciences market.

The future of Quality Control Labs and the Quality Control LIMS that automates and manages them has been a topic of debate in recent years. Why all this speculation?

Users of Autoscribe Informatics’ Matrix LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) recently attended a busy User Group Meeting at the Williams F1 Centre in Oxfordshire, UK. Presentations from users and Autoscribe technical specialists were interwoven with live link-ups to Autoscribe experts at a number of locations in the US to provide a varied perspective on current and future uses of Matrix.

Psyche Systems Corporation and CompuGroup Medical US (CGM) have formed a strategic alliance which offers laboratories the ability to have seamlessly integrated solutions and workflow for clinical, anatomic pathology, molecular, toxicology, microbiology and billing applications.

Please join Khemia Software (www.khemia.com) at TNI (The NELAC Institute – www.nelac-institute.org) Forum on Environmental Accreditation on January 23-26, 2017 in Houston, TX. Registration is now open. We look forward to another great crowd this year!

Coriell Life Sciences, Inc., an innovative provider of clinical genetic reporting solutions, and Psyche Systems, the leader in medical laboratory software systems, today announced a technology partnership and integration designed to provide end-to-end sample management and comprehensive interpretation and reporting for pharmacogenomics and women's health molecular diagnostics.

Agilent Technologies Inc. and PureHoney Technologies today announced a co-marketing agreement to develop new applications on the Agilent RapidFire 365 High-throughput Mass Spectrometry System.