One of the challenges faced by scientists working in biotechnology and pharmaceutical labs is the issue of data integration.  Walk through any lab, and you are likely to see a wide array of instruments. Each instrument usually has its own data file format, which is often proprietary. This forces lab scientists to manually sort through and compile data from each instrument, typically using Excel, to achieve a final data set. Excel then becomes their de facto “standard” for working with, sharing, and presenting data.

While this is a workable solution, it’s tremendously inefficient in terms of time and resources, and prone to human error. In some cases, the time lost due to the manual work, and/or errors can mean delays of days, even weeks.  This is hardly a new phenomenon. This problem has plagued the industry for years, and efforts to address this problem in analytical lab environments have lagged far behind other industries. For example, the medical device industry has long established data interchange standards and devices with compatible data outputs.

What is the explanation for this? A key factor is economic. In the medical device industry, the creation of standards and compatible devices was driven, in part, by cost controls. Faced with today’s highly regulated healthcare environment, users demanded it. Vendors, suppliers and organizations realized they needed to change, or they’d run the risk of losing a competitive edge. These same market forces do not exist to the same extent in the biotechnology  and pharmaceutical industries. However, there remains a glaring need for data integration solutions and standards. Users are certainly demanding it but the problem is, the vendors can afford not to listen.

The good news is that this may be changing. There is increasing momentum in the scientific community towards establishing data standards and integration. In the past decade, technology has been making a real impact in the labs. “Electronic” solutions are gaining ground and broader acceptance, as labs and business see that advantages of the “paperless” lab. Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), and Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELN), are great examples. However, there is a fundamental difference between an “electronic” lab and an “integrated” lab. An electronic solution, like an ELN, addresses a particular process need, but this does not mean it provides a way for all the instruments – and their data - to work together.

There have been some attempts to create data standards for analytical labs. More and more user groups and organizations are sprouting up to discuss the issue, to propose and share ideas, and to think about next steps. While these efforts have not yet yielded tangible results, or made a broader impact, there is at least a grass roots effort underway to make something happen.

In my opinion, the biggest challenge to these efforts is a lack of leadership and initiative. The life sciences community  lacks communication and efforts so far have been siloed and insular. What the industry needs is leaders who are willing to take on the significant commitment of underwriting and supporting a serious effort to complete and establish a uniform data standard, to develop innovative data integration solutions, and to be able to influence vendors. If this occurs, it will energize the broader community, resulting in greater collaboration and development in the life sciences industry as a whole.

MUSA Technology Partners has committed to this challenge. We have partnered with innovators in the data integration space, allowing us to offer unique solutions to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries which will give scientists tools that will allow them to work more efficiently and accurately with their instrument data, as well as saving time and resources. The net result is that more time can be spent working toward research objectives, and less time worrying about technology issues.

For information about MUSA's data integration and lab support services, contact us through MUSA's information request form or call (800) 401-9123.

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