Part I - Prepare, Practice, Perform

      Ridhima Rao, MS -
      Forensic Sciences
      Millennium Health 

Any enterprise-wide change, such as implementing a new paradigm for LC-MS/MS analysis, has real costs on the way to real benefits. Yet the benefits can be truly transformational, in terms of technical efficiency, business performance, and personal growth. So how does a lab undertake such an effort – not just in terms of whiteboard discussions and project plans, but in the real day-to-day work? This presentation will describe how one lab did exactly that.

Part II - Decision Support and Analytics 

         Jim Edwards
         Indigo BioAutomation

Releasing high quality chromatography and mass spectrometry results at a high operational tempo with high confidence requires the active coordination of a number of agents and systems in the laboratory. Multiple technical elements are involved: sample preparation, liquid handling, LC/GC, MS, LIS - and they all have "a story to tell", above and beyond just the acquired data. Multiple people and roles are involved as well: technicians, scientists, quality assurance, regulatory, business - and they each have value and context to add.

Laboratories such as these are sometimes thought of as “analytical factories” – samples in, results out. As an analogy, this one has only some truth to it, while also over-simplifying the deep complexity in the work. But to the extent that the analogy is useful, then one way to think about the scientists involved is as “decision machines” – their job is to make the day-to-day decisions that allows the flow of high confidence results to continue. This means that one way to higher quality, improved analytical utility, and lower turnaround time is through a better decision support system.

This presentation will focus on new features of the ASCENT system, such as integrated chat, flex content, and cross-batch repeat visibility, which build on existing capabilities of the software, to foster more meaningful, relevant, and effective collaboration. The availability and utility of this information and context, visualized as analytics, will also be described. Taken together, this can lead to an improved laboratory workplace and improved laboratory performance, for all stakeholders.

We look forward to seeing you there!