In the fast-paced world of clinical research, efficiency, accuracy, and compliance are critical to successful study outcomes. The right LIMS should aim to streamline clinical trial workflows, improve data accuracy, and support regulatory compliance. Here’s a closer look at the features clinical researchers should focus on and how they benefit customers actively collecting, processing, and storing biospecimens from clinical trials:
1. Collection Kits: Simplifying Kit and Component Management
Managing biological samples is a cornerstone of clinical research, so it is critical for your LIMS to have the right collection kit features to help simplify this process from start to finish:
- Create Collection Kit Types: Researchers can define specific collection kit types, plan the number and quantity of items in the kits, and link the study that these kits are associated with, to ensure kits are created consistently and unique barcodes are accurately linked to the proper collection containers.
- Streamlined Logistics: Users can generate collection kit records, print labels, and manage kit shipments directly within the system.
- Accession Returned Samples: When samples are returned in the pre-labeled kit containers, the system supports seamless accessioning to ensure traceability and proper handling of incoming samples in pre-labeled containers.
Benefit: These enhancements are instrumental in reducing errors in collection and labeling, accelerating sample collection and processing, and helping ensure that all study collection protocols are met consistently.
2. Sample Retention Review Workflow: Supporting Compliance and Timely Action
Human samples from clinical trials often have strict retention periods governed by ethical guidelines, and individual patient consent. An automated retention review workflow within your LIMS ensures no sample is overlooked:
- Automated Review: The system automatically identifies samples nearing the end of their retention period and pulls them into a dedicated review workflow. This process alerts designated individuals that samples need to be reviewed and considered for discard, repatriation, or other actions.
- Compliance Support: This workflow facilitates adherence to rules governing human sample retention, ensuring no sample is retained or disposed of outside of approved timelines.
- Free Valuable Freezer Storage Space: Continuing to store samples past their end-of-retention date takes valuable freezer storage space away from new samples and projects. Automated sample retention review can help your team free valuable storage space by identifying samples that should be discarded.
Benefit: Automating the retention review process mitigates compliance risks, reduces the administrative burden on research teams, and can free up storage space.
3. Study Types/Templates: Standardizing Data Entry
Consistency in data collection is crucial for reliable study outcomes. Study templates within your LIMS can offer enhanced control and standardization over data entry fields:
- Customizable Fields: Researchers can define required and optional fields for each study type, ensuring all critical information is collected.
- Optimized User Interface: By removing unnecessary fields, the system can present a clean and intuitive interface tailored to study type needs.
Benefit: This feature minimizes data entry errors, improves data integrity and searchability, and streamlines workflows by focusing only on relevant information.
4. Study Sites: Enhancing Sample Traceability
Tracking samples across multiple collection sites is vital for multi-center trials. LIMS can provide robust support for managing study sites:
- Site- and Study-Specific Tracking: Users can track samples based on collection site and link specific collection sites to each study, enabling precise sample tracking across entire studies, regardless of location.
Benefit: Researchers gain better oversight of sample provenance, improving traceability and coordination across study sites.
5. Support for Outsourced Samples: Bridging the Information Gap
Many clinical studies rely on third-party vendors for sample storage, but researchers still need to view and search for these samples and associated data. Your LIMS should include enhanced support for outsourced samples:
- Offsite Sample Visibility: Users can search and view samples stored with external vendors directly within the system. Outsourced samples are flagged with their vendor location, but all data is still visible and searchable in the system.
- Retention Reporting: A report tool supports retention review for outsourced samples, including automated notifications to ensure timely action.
Benefit: This feature improves transparency and oversight of samples in outsourced storage, facilitating compliance support, making it easier to leverage external experts and space, and reducing the risk of lost or mishandled materials. Further, it allows researchers to see and search across all samples, regardless of their storage location.
These features work together to empower clinical researchers by simplifying complex workflows, enhancing data integrity, and ensuring regulatory compliance support. You can find all these clinical research features and more in the latest updates to Limfinity Biobanking LIMS. Whether managing collection kits, automating retention reviews, or tracking outsourced samples, these new features are designed to streamline operations and support successful study outcomes. This update serves as part of our commitment to continuously evolve and enhance the platform to meet the ever-changing demands of our customers.
Speak with our experts to learn more about how the latest updates to Limfinity Biobanking LIMS can support your team.