Meeting the informatics challenge

Darwin LIMS supports pharma manufacturing’s R&D and QA/QC.

Faced with numerous challenges, from an explosion of data and regulatory compliance to cost containment and IT integration, customers are demanding informatics solutions that reduce their total cost of ownership, complexity and risk. Thermo Fisher Scientific, through its Thermo Scientific-branded laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and chromatography data systems (CDS), is responding to that demand.

‘Our plan to tackle our customers’ greatest challenges is three-fold,’ explains Dave Champagne, vice president and general manager of informatics for Thermo Fisher Scientific. ‘First, we are building the next-generation informatics platform that will integrate our solutions with the enterprise, instruments, automation and so on. This has lasting benefits for customers, from true interoperability and greater access to data to ease of upgrades and training.

‘Second, we are delivering industry- and application-specific solutions that are built for their intended purpose. This greatly reduces the amount of customisation required by the customer and responds to their desire for reduced complexity
and risk.

Finally, we back up our products with comprehensive services and support delivered by the industry’s largest group of global service professionals. It’s a commitment unmatched in the industry.’

Industry requirements
Thermo Fisher’s response to the need for less complex and risky LIMS and CDS implementations started with a shift towards offering purpose-built, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) LIMS for the pharmaceutical industry. This continues with a commitment to serve process industries with more out-of-the-box functionality as standard.

Purpose-built solutions ease implementations, validation and training, while generic LIMS that require heavy customisation to automate a specific business process can lead to cost overruns, complexity and commitment to ongoing maintenance – issues that recur with each system upgrade.

SampleManager LIMS™, the flagship of the Thermo Scientific portfolio, has been modernised in version 9.0 with Microsoft® .NET architecture and platform development. These developments enable Thermo Fisher to offer industry-specific configurations for process industries. Thermo Scientific purpose-built solutions for the pharmaceutical industry include:

• Watson LIMS™, the industry standard for bioanalytical laboratories
• Darwin LIMS™, designed specifically to address the complex requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturing R&D and QA/QC in a single system
• Galileo LIMS™, which enables high-throughput compound screening for in vitro ADME experiments
• Nautilus LIMS™, which delivers the sample management of an LIMS in the flexible environment preferred by research organisations

‘We have the domain expertise and world-class software development skills to take
on the burden of building more core functionality into our products, so that customers require less risky and complex customisation,’ says Champagne.

Atlas, Thermo Fisher’s CDS application, received an extensive update in 2005
and a new version is slated to debut in 2007.

Enhanced portfolio
Thermo Fisher intends to integrate its portfolio of informatics solutions more fully with platform development. Taking advantage of web services and a service-oriented architecture enables the shift from dedicated point systems to an integrated suite of Thermo Scientific solutions. In addition to enhanced productivity, the platform delivers: ease of integration; future-proofing through easy upgrades; interoperability with connectivity to enterprise systems, instruments, equipment, storage and automation; end-to-end workflows; a common interface and open standards; and web-based browsing and reporting.

‘Customers can count on Thermo Fisher Scientific as a long-term partner in their informatics strategy,’ says Champagne. ‘We are investing in our product development, in listening to and servicing our customers, and in delivering the innovations that really make a difference for our customers.’

Company profile
Thermo Fisher Scientific was created out of a merger between Thermo Electron Corporation and Fisher Scientific International in November 2006. The $9 billion company provides integrated, end-to-end technical solutions by bringing together complementary, industry-leading technologies in instrumentation, life science consumables, software and services. Thermo Fisher Scientific markets its leading informatics solutions, including LIMS and CDS, under the Thermo Scientific brand.

For more information, visit www.thermo.com/informatics.

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