Article Index

Calendar

CD's
- Cost Justification CD
- LIMS Primer CD

Email Newsletter

Featured Article

Guest Book

Industry News

Introduction to LIMS

LIMS Products & Services

LIMSource

Reprints

A Closer Look: Thermo Fisher Scientific & Symyx Partnership

Strategies for Success in Today’s Economy
by Helen Gillespie, Editor, LIMS/Letter

The economy has always had an impact on the way companies work. When times are good, more products are sold, and more money is spent on equipment and systems to expand the lab’s functionality and its ability to handle an increased workload. 1999, for instance, was a strong year for just about every organization because the economy was at a high. A decade later, 2009 is an example of the other side of the coin. But life goes on, so how are companies coping with the current difficult economic situation?

The analytical science arena has not been hit as hard as other markets. Sales are slower and fewer. Buyers are more cautious. Budgets have been cut. However, most large instrument vendors only show sales declines in the single digits. One reason is that those vendors have been nimble in responding to and evolving with changing market demands. Thermo Fisher Scientific is a case in point. Despite being the largest analytical instrument manufacturer in the world, their individual business units are very proactive with regard to market dynamics.

Addressing the Laboratory Systems Integration Challenge

Automation enables labs to perform more activities in the same amount of time, thus managing data electronically is a key goal in today’s economy. However, it is imperative that workflows be optimized and integrated in order to manage that electronic data most effectively. By integrating laboratory software and hardware so that scientists can work more intuitively, Thermo Fisher is enabling the lab to operate more efficiently and thus more economically.

Recently introduced at the Pittsburgh Conference in Chicago, IL, Thermo Scientific Connects is aimed at bridging the gap between laboratory-generated data and the enterprise-level information required to support mission-critical management decisions.

A set of products, technologies and services, Connects delivers connectivity between Thermo Scientific LIMS and laboratory instruments, equipment and other resources, and enables the integration of laboratory-generated data with ERP systems, PIMS, MES and other collaboration tools throughout the organization. This integration of informatics solutions with varied enterprise systems is particularly relevant in today’s business climate, where speed, accuracy and efficiency are critical.

“With the Connects solution,” explains Kim Shah, vice president marketing and business development, Thermo Fisher Scientific Informatics, “the idea is to provide four legs to the stool, so to speak, starting with instruments to collect data, pass data to the LIMS or ELN, then share data with ERP, etc., and finally document management systems for report generation and mission critical management decisions. The ability to capture structured as well as unstructured data is critical. Now, companies are looking at existing investments with an eye to making them work better -- especially in today’s challenging economic times.”

“Connects is the solution for the times because our customer’s end goal is dependent on the intellectual property in the lab,” Shah continues. “At the end of the day, it’s all about their business and shipping product. Every step involves business decisions, and all work conducted in the lab is done to deliver business value. We have helped many of our customers perform workflow and process harmonization. Now, that those benefits have been realized, companies are looking to us for the next benefit. Customers, regardless of their industry, are now looking at how they can connect all of the organization’s investments to make faster and more informed decisions.”

To complement Thermo Scientific solutions, they have created strategic partnerships with vendors who have already developed robust, market leading products--hence the recent announcement of their partnership with Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) vendor Symyx Technologies, Inc.

A Strategic Approach to ELN Integration

ELNs are becoming a vital link in the laboratory’s information technology chain. As a software tool for the beginning stage of the laboratory data lifecycle, they are rapidly replacing pen and paper systems for data recording because they can significantly improve lab efficiency, data security and accessibility to information.

The key to driving this efficiency gain is connecting the laboratory to ensure streamlined information capture within the context of the researcher’s documentation workflow and then ensuring information is accessible to all to access and learn from. Thermo Fisher is addressing this integration issue not by developing their own ELN, but by partnering with Symyx, an industry-leading ELN vendor.

Symyx Notebook is an enterprise ELN with specific configurations to support analytical chemistry, synthesis chemistry, process chemistry, formulation and biological research. The Symyx chemistry engine that powers the Symyx Notebook also powers the Isentris platform used for scientific decision support and is the technology foundation for delivering chemical registration, inventory, and other systems used in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Symyx Notebook offers full chemistry capabilities including the ability to capture all the data associated with a reaction including transformation details, and support for scientific workflows such as compound registration.

“ELN partnerships are part of the Connects vision,” states Dave Champagne, vice president and general manager of informatics at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Connects uses open standards to integrate Thermo Scientific systems and solutions – such as our LIMS and CDS – with other solutions to fill out the customer’s workflows.”

While Thermo Fisher has developed partnerships with a number of ELN vendors over the years, their deeper relationship with Symyx will involve joint product development and reselling Symyx Notebook and Isentris decision support software.

“Of course, Thermo Fisher has the know how and ability to build an ELN in house,” Champagne adds, “but strategically we decided to go with a best of breed software solution already available in the market. Symyx built an architectural platform so that one ELN can support chemistry or biology. In addition the unique, highly configurable nature of the Symyx Notebook was an ideal match for our customers wishing to avoid costly customizations. Their solution scales well and we expect it to be around a long time.”

Moving from Paper to Automated Systems

Thermo Fisher’s partnership with Symyx to market and sell Symyx Notebook and Symyx Isentris decision support software is a key component of the company's Connects solution, and demonstrates their commitment to providing comprehensive informatics solutions in partnership with other industry leaders.

By providing an ELN as part of its end-to-end solutions, Thermo Fisher provides its customers with a secure and efficient method of managing what has formerly been a manual and time-consuming process of recording research, documents and procedures in the laboratory. The integration of an ELN allows more efficient use of laboratory resources and information, as well as consistent compliance with various regulatory requirements for documented processes, such as those defined by ISO, FDA or GLP.

The initial focus of the company’s collaboration with Symyx will be to deliver integration between the Thermo Scientific Watson LIMS and Symyx Notebook. This solution will be designed to accelerate the design, execution, analysis, reporting and documentation of biological and bioanalytical workflows. By sharing sample lists, results, and reports, this comprehensive solution will reduce manual transcription and data manipulation that can result in costly, time-consuming processes, laboratory errors, and regulatory compliance issues.

In addition, the Symyx Isentris data access, analysis, and decision support system is expected to facilitate better collaboration, faster decisions, and more innovative R&D by enabling scientists to leverage corporate, commercial, and local database information in an integrated, self-service research environment.

Subsequent program phases will integrate the Symyx Notebook with other Thermo Scientific LIMS designed to enhance workflow automation for other industrial settings such as oil and gas, chemicals, environmental, food and beverage, as well as pharmaceutical.

“Symyx has already delivered an enterprise ELN system,” confirms Trish Meek, director of product strategy for Life Science, Thermo Fisher Scientific Informatics. “Their system spans the needs of our entire customer base and provides an integrated solution from R&D to manufacturing.”

“Because everyone has a different interpretation of the role an ELN plays in their environment, it’s important to keep integration in mind,” Meek explains, “The ELN is the missing piece of the puzzle to delivering a truly paperless laboratory.”

“The Symyx Notebook can be configured to fully support GLP, GMP. and 21 CFR Part 11. The ELN can capture the free thought that occurs in discovery or step users through laboratory’s SOPs in manufacturing and anything in between,” she adds.

According to Meek, the solution allows users to configure the level of compliance required for their environment. “This is the ideal approach for an enterprise ELN.”

Summary

“There are still as many entrants in the ELN field today as there were five years ago,” Champagne points out, “although this may change due to the economy. There has to be a shake-out, and there will be fewer vendors. I expect that a lot of marginal players and many that are not profitable will have to sell or get out. We partnered with Symyx because they built a .NET platform that can not only plug into Thermo Scientific products, but they also made a tremendous investment to do it right.”

Currently there are some 30 ELN vendors. While the market has been experiencing double digit growth, this is not expected to continue and industry pundits expect industry consolidation to occur, particularly in light of the recent difficult economic environment. In fact, Symyx started the consolidation with the acquisition of MDL Information Systems in late 2007.

“Right now, there’s a big thrust in companies to instill more discipline around key metrics and bring all data together into business decision tools,” Shah states. “Companies need to make sense of all their data and are looking at tools for indexing and semantics, as well as decision support across all applications. When Symyx purchased MDL, they acquired good informatics expertise and expertise beyond ELNs; Isentris a powerful knowledge access tool for decision support. Survivors will be those with a diverse product line, as well as those who are forward thinking about products that provide more value and help customers to be more successful.”

“Changes in the current environment, whether economic or regulatory, make it imperative for companies to extract greater leverage and utilization from their existing enterprise data systems and LIMS investments,” summarizes Champagne. “We’re working closely with our strategic partners such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, as well as leveraging our Global Partner Alliance, to help our customers achieve these goals.”