There are technologies on the horizon that could dramatically change how informatics organizations design, develop, deliver, and support applications and data infrastructures to deliver maximum value to drug discovery organizations. Effective integration of data and laboratory informatics tools promises the ability of organizations to make better informed decisions about resource allocation during the drug discovery and development process and for more informed decisions to be made with respect to the market opportunity for compounds. We propose in this article a new integration model called ELN-centric laboratory informatics tools integration.
Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) are increasingly replacing paper notebooks in life science laboratories, including those in industry, academic settings, and hospitals. ELNs offer significant advantages over paper notebooks, but adopting them in a predominantly paper-based environment is usually disruptive. The benefits of ELN increase when they are integrated with other laboratory informatics tools such as laboratory information management systems, chromatography data systems, analytical instrumentation, and scientific data management systems, but there is no well-established path for effective integration of these tools. In this article, we review and evaluate some of the approaches that have been taken thus far and also some radical new methods of integration that are emerging.
Effective integration of data and
laboratory informatics tools
promises the ability for organizations to make better informed decisions
about resource allocation during the drug discovery and development
process, and for more informed decisions to be made with respect to
the market opportunity for compounds. There are technologies on the
horizon that could dramatically change how informatics organizations
design, develop, deliver, and support applications and data infrastructures
to deliver maximum value to drug discovery organizations. There are
numerous benefits of integrating laboratory informatics tools like
Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Chromatographic Data
Systems (CDS), Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELN), and Analytical
Instrumentation and Scientific Data Management Systems (SDMS) for
drug discovery processes, but there is no well-established path for
effective integration of these tools. We propose in this article four
new integration models for effective integration of laboratory informatics
tools.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.