Finding a NGS LIMS for Research & Workflows

You have the lab, you have the scientists, you have the equipment, you even have the work lined up… but are you ready to open a genetic testing facility? If you haven’t selected and designed your LIMS to match your needs, you are still in the early steps of the process.

The experience of starting a lab from scratch is overwhelming and time-consuming. Being well-prepared for this undertaking is the best way to ensure a successful outcome. Dr. Todd E. Arnold, Managing Director of the Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Lab in Connecticut, created such a lab and he shared what he learned during the process. On April 21st he presented How Mount Sinai Uses LIMS to Support Clinical & Research Genomics Workflows, a webinar on his experience starting a genetic testing lab from the ground-up.

As the title implies, Dr. Arnold talked about the basics of the process, including selecting and deploying a laboratory information management system. He discussed some of the criteria that the Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Laboratory used to develop and implement a highly configured LIMS for clinical and research genomics workflows in a high-throughput sequencing facility.

Arnold readily admits he is a genomics expert, not a LIMS expert, which makes his view of the issue important and relatable for scientists in the field. In a presentation at the Core Informatics User Group Meeting in October of 2015, he had basic advice, “If you are thinking of developing a system you have to get down in the weeds to figure out what exactly you want to have happen, where, and when.”

The LIMS in Dr. Arnold’s facility is highly automated and highly integrated – it interacts with every piece of lab equipment, every step of the way, from accessioning to the generation of data that goes for further analysis. Since the facility handles research as well as clinical data, reporting and traceability are both vitally important. This discussion will highlight how all information and processes are handled within the Core LIMS.

Selecting and deploying a LIMS is not a trivial task. Join us for Dr. Todd Arnold’s presentation.