Case Study
lab2lab: Enhance your lab automation
TTP LabTech's lab2lab has been installed at Novartis, Horsham and connects 6 medicinal chemistry labs, located over 2 floors, to an analytical lab located in the basement of the building. Installation was carried out to increase the lab automation process and to optimise sample analysis times and use of analytical equipment.
Prior to lab2lab, submission of chemical and biological samples to analytical equipment such as HPLC and GC/MS required substantial manual investment and efficient lab management. Typically samples were formulated and collated into racks before being manually entered into analytical instrumentation which proved to be a time consuming, error prone and inefficient process. With the increasing drive for lab automation in the pharmaceutical industry, lab2lab enables the scientist to concentrate more efficiently on the science instead of laborious manual tasks.
The ability of lab2lab to successfully support the submission of over 250 samples for analysis from 50 chemists working across these 6 labs is demonstrated in the case study poster, available for download. Samples were submitted for analysis by either UPLC-MS or HPLC and the average time for a result to be returned to the originators ELN was 30 mins, with the majority of samples being returned within 5 to 15 mins.
This study demonstrates how lab automation can be significantly enhanced with lab2lab, making it possible to rationalise expensive analytical equipment, reducing the cost of maintenance and support whilst increasing availability. In addition, the system has the capability to buffer submitted samples whilst the analytical equipment is busy or otherwise unavailable, meaning analyses can take place overnight.
The opportunity for lab automation offered with lab2lab is unique in that it allows samples to be sent from anywhere within a building, from disparate laboratories to collated or disparate analytical instrumentation.
A recording of the webinar with Dr Brian Everatt of Novartis is also available.
For further reading see the articles below or bibliography:
- Everatt, B; Lab Management and Transport System Tutorial; GEN Vol. 31 No. 12, Jun 2011
- Gaisford, W; Case study: Increasing access for medicinal chemists with lab2lab; DDN Vol. 7 No. 6 Jun 2011
For further information or to request a demonstration please contact us or fill in the form.
To download this Novartis case study, please click here
