An electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) is a computerised system that includes tools for creating and storing experimental protocols, results, and research findings on a digital platform. ELNs have been developed for scientists and laboratory analysts working in fields such as chemistry, biology, analytical, in vivo, and clinical research. They play a vital role in the following:
- Enhancing intellectual property (IP) protection
- Easing of experimental design
- Providing an interface to instruments and systems for much easier searching, capturing, retaining, securing, and reusing structural expertise.
Paper-based recording to fully digital capture of data
Without an Electronic Lab Notebook, research laboratories are likely to conduct their work with a range of tools, the most common of which are Excel spreadsheets and a huge amount of paper. The relevant experimental data is subsequently compiled and entered as paper records . ELN will assist a lab in becoming paperless. ELNs are electronic, smart, and intuitive notebooks that are meant to replace paper notebooks. This eliminates the need to record data such as instrument outputs.
into paper lab notebooks, The following are some of the benefits of replacing a paper lab notebook with an ELN:
- Elimination of transcribing errors, data loss, random record storage, and storage and archiving of QA/QC analysis reports, including raw data, in paper notebooks.
- Improved access to experimental data- rather than paper notebooks, users can now get immediate access to data stored digitally.
- Ease of use- Younger generations of scientists are more experienced in using digital devices such as laptops, computers, tablets, smartphones, and other gadgets that really can link to ELNs than they are in using paper.
Instrument Interfacing and Systems Integration
There are various options for connecting your laboratory instruments and integrating other systems with Laboratory notebook software. Most ELN Softwares have instrument interfacing capabilities built-in, and many ELNs have Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that can be used to expand your ELN’s capabilities.
The following are some of the major advantages of instrument interfacing and system integration:
- Increased productivity
- Improved data quality
- Quick analysis and decision-making.
- Error-free data capture, storage and retrieval
Work Locally and Share Globally
By integrating research data from various internal or external groups in an ELN system, you may make the data secure and easily searchable across your business (including external partners), accelerating your research findings and decision-making. Remember that you must take the time upfront to standardize the use of the Lab Notebook Software to order to obtain speedy access to your data across the company.
The following are some of the advantages you’ll get from understanding the basis for your ELN before you start implementing it:
- Intra and inter-departmental collaborations with multidisciplinary expertise.
- Data sharing with granular permissions.
- Bringing together the efforts of several groups or projects.
- Visualization of data
- Data from numerous experiments, regardless of where they were conducted.
- Capabilities for reporting.
Error prevention
ELNs can also help you avoid mistakes during the execution of protocols and SOP as there are features to build validations. ELN Software may detect data issues automatically while also alerting human users when necessary. This feature is particularly beneficial in the lab and in any sector where data accuracy is critical.
Creating a secure environment for data
It is critical to safeguard and secure your data. Entire teams are often dedicated to this task. This includes data generated in-house at your organization, but Pharma and Biotech work is now outsourced to the extent of 25%. Every day, data must flow into and out of your organization, and the correct individuals must have instant access to the right information. Cloud based ELNs can be used to store data for an extended amount of time because data storage in the cloud is expandable. In comparison to an on-premise system that may have received less attention, organizations that implement a well-designed cloud ELN will benefit from business continuity and a disaster recovery strategy. Multi-tenant and private cloud environments are both common deployment methods for cloud ELNs. An ELN with the help of a detailed audit-trail feature can ensure data-integrity in the laboratory operations thereby relieving the users of concern about regulatory compliance.
Benefits of ELN
Electronic lab notebooks come with a range of Features that lets the laboratories take advantage of their research processes,
- Structure of data and protocol accuracy has been improved.
- ELN will assist your laboratory in starting the paperless transformation. ELNs are electronic, smart, and intuitive notebooks that are meant to replace paper notebooks.
- Accessibility for present and future research both inside and outside the lab.
- It ensures laboratories to adhere to regulatory compliance such as US FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11
- Lab findings are digitally archived on a secure web-based platform for immediate access.
- Samples, reagents, plates, barcodes, and order numbers, including batch data are all consolidated in one place.
- Your documents and files are organized and available from any device connected to the internet in the case of cloud-hosted ELN.
- The ability to export or share data in a variety of formats.
- Improved communication inside and between scientific teams – both inside and outside of the lab – with securely shared search functionality.
- The experimental procedure can be streamlined with ELN, from experiment creation to experiment conclusion.
Conclusion
ELNs enable interoperability, which transforms the way scientists conduct experiments and handle their data. Communication difficulties, task duplication, and differing interpretations or approaches are all eliminated with ELNs. An ELN’s capability helps it to adapt quickly, automate even the most complicated operations, and facilitate discovery research where IP protection, data processing, and sharing, as well as reporting and visualization, are all critical goals.
Try out Agaram Technologies’ Logilab ELN to witness what electronic lab notebook is all about, schedule a demo with us today.
