Conference Report : LIMS 97

by Alan McLelland, Institute of Biochemistry, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow

The llth International LIMS Conference, which was held in the Netherlands from 3-5 June 1997, took the overall theme of information integration. The basics of laboratory computing were addressed in issues like system procurement, management, implementation and validation, and the programme also reflected the wider role of LIMS in the corporate environment, with a 500 sq m exhibition and a mix of plenary lectures, vendor workshops, attended posters and interactive breakout sessions. Topics included:

Human aspects of LIMS

Implementation of a LIMS can be a traumatic and sometimes threatening experience for staff, yet, for a LIMS project to deliver its claimed benefits, it is essential to have the active support of staff. To improve understanding of the issues involved in the management of change, the programme featured:

• Joseph Golden on 'Understanding the human dimension in LIMS projects'; and
• Gerry Newman and John Trigg on 'Why is big brother watching you? - Human resource issues in LIMS'.

Quality assurance and quality management

A LIMS system documents the process of generating objective data and provides the audit trail to track results back to source documents. Thus audit of the LIMS itself, and of potential vendors, is critical. Papers at the meeting included:

• Robert Megargle on 'Are there better ways to validate?';
• Siri Segalstad on 'Vendor audits';
• David Williamson on 'Re-engineering for regulatory compliance through LIMS; and
• Allen Nakagawa on 'LIMS - a quality management tool for QA, validation and regulatory compliance'.

LIMS and the internet

Cyberspace is not a plaything for children; the internet was conceived for its power to connect people and the unrivalled business benefits which that process brings. Speakers on integration included:

• Peter Boogaard on 'The universal cyberlinks of tomorrow at your fingertips';
• Reinhold Schaefer on 'LIMS in an internet/intranet environment - benefits of a new technology in the lab';
• Tim Long on 'Development of an HTML-based intranet LIMS data delivery system'; and
• Jessie Paterson on 'Cost savings through the use of the internet'.

LIMS implementation

Papers for those new to LIMS included:

• Diane Cameron and Russell Calow on 'LIMS: common design and installation problems and how to do it right';
• Svendt Martin Fransen on 'Implementation of a 'standard' LIMS';
• Michael Wall on 'Life after LIMS at ALCON laboratories';
• Birger Aune on 'A long and winding road - a history of LIMS implementation'; and
• Sandy Weinberg on 'How secure is your vendor? Evaluating the commitment and future of LIMS companies'.

Re-engineering/integration/The lab of the future

The earliest LIMS implementations were around 30 years ago. As technology changes, one of the greatest challenges is to develop and re-engineer old systems. This was discussed by: Ken Leiper; Randy Hice; Albrecht Kuhn and R. Roth; Peter Boogard; and Dale Seabrook.

Vendor sessions included

• Gerhard Stifter (HP, Germany) on 'Integration - LIMS, the automated laboratory, and production control';
• JHM Souverin (BCO, Holland) on 'MOLIS and PARUNA: preparing for robotization';
• John Boother (Autoscribe, UK) on 'LIMS configuration - a live demonstration'; and
• Stefaan van Haupt (Compex, Belgium) on 'LIMS within the framework of MES and EPR systems'.

Short courses were run by:

• Randy Collins on 'Re-engineering and workflow analysis';
• Joseph Golden on 'A LIMS primer - an introduction to LIMS';
• Reinhold Schaefer on 'Implementation and integration of LIMS into a complex environment'; and
• Siri Segalstad on 'LIMS validation'.

The meeting had 255 delegates and over 50 exhibitors.

The next International LIMS conference will be held in June 1999, in Basle, Switzerland.

Back to the Meetings Archive Page

This page last updated on 31 March 2003