Dataset Information

Principles and application of LIMS in mouse clinics.

ABSTRACT: Large-scale systemic mouse phenotyping, as performed by mouse clinics for more than a decade, requires thousands of mice from a multitude of different mutant lines to be bred, individually tracked and subjected to phenotyping procedures according to a standardised schedule. All these efforts are typically organised in overlapping projects, running in parallel. In terms of logistics, data capture, data analysis, result visualisation and reporting, new challenges have emerged from such projects. These challenges could hardly be met with traditional methods such as pen & paper colony management, spreadsheet-based data management and manual data analysis. Hence, different Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) have been developed in mouse clinics to facilitate or even enable mouse and data management in the described order of magnitude. This review shows that general principles of LIMS can be empirically deduced from LIMS used by different mouse clinics, although these have evolved differently. Supported by LIMS descriptions and lessons learned from seven mouse clinics, this review also shows that the unique LIMS environment in a particular facility strongly influences strategic LIMS decisions and LIMS development. As a major conclusion, this review states that there is no universal LIMS for the mouse research domain that fits all requirements. Still, empirically deduced general LIMS principles can serve as a master decision support template, which is provided as a hands-on tool for mouse research facilities looking for a LIMS.

SUBMITTER: Maier H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4602070 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Principles and application of LIMS in mouse clinics.

Maier Holger H Schütt Christine C Steinkamp Ralph R Hurt Anja A Schneltzer Elida E Gormanns Philipp P Lengger Christoph C Griffiths Mark M Melvin David D Agrawal Neha N Alcantara Rafael R Evans Arthur A Gannon David D Holroyd Simon S Kipp Christian C Raj Navis Pretheeba NP Richardson David D LeBlanc Sophie S Vasseur Laurent L Masuya Hiroshi H Kobayashi Kimio K Suzuki Tomohiro T Tanaka Nobuhiko N Wakana Shigeharu S Walling Alison A Clary David D Gallegos Juan J Fuchs Helmut H de Angelis Martin Hrabě MH Gailus-Durner Valerie V

Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society 20150725 9-10

Large-scale systemic mouse phenotyping, as performed by mouse clinics for more than a decade, requires thousands of mice from a multitude of different mutant lines to be bred, individually tracked and subjected to phenotyping procedures according to a standardised schedule. All these efforts are typically organised in overlapping projects, running in parallel. In terms of logistics, data capture, data analysis, result visualisation and reporting, new challenges have emerged from such projects. T ...[more]

PMID: 26208973

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Project description:Introduction"Lean" is a set of management principles which focus on increasing value and efficiency by reducing or avoiding waste (e.g., overproduction, defects, inventory, transportation, waiting, motion, over processing). It has been applied to manufacturing, education, and health care, leading to optimized process flow, increased efficiency and increased team empowerment. However, to date, it has not been applied to neuroimaging research.MethodsLean principles, such as Value stream mapping (e.g. a tool with which steps in the workflow can be identified on which to focus improvement efforts), 5S (e.g. an organizational method to boost workplace efficiency and efficacy) and Root-cause analysis (e.g. a problem-solving approach to identify key points of failure in a system) were applied to an ongoing, large neuroimaging study that included seven research visits per participant. All team members participated in a half-day exercise in which the entire project flow was visualized and areas of inefficiency were identified. Changes focused on removing obstacles, standardization, optimal arrangement of equipment and root-cause-analysis. A process for continuous improvement was also implemented. Total time of an experiment was recorded before implementation of Lean for two participants and after implementation of Lean for two participants. Satisfaction of team members was assessed anonymously on a 5-item Likert scale, ranging from much worsened to much improved.ResultsAll team members (N = 6) considered the overall experience of conducting an experiment much improved after implementation of Lean. Five out of six team members indicated a much-improved reduction in time, with the final team member considering this somewhat improved. Average experiment time was reduced by 13% after implementation of Lean (from 142 and 147 minutes to 124 and 128 minutes).DiscussionLean principles can be successfully applied to neuroimaging research. Training in Lean principles for junior research scientists is recommended.

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Principles and application of LIMS in mouse clinics.

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Principles and application of LIMS in mouse clinics.

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