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Integrating Automated RMM for Digital Innovation

POSTED BY Rapid Micro Biosystems | 6 minute read

Our latest whitepaper explains why automated microbial enumeration is critical to the seamless integration of laboratory information management systems (LIMS).

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With data integrity increasingly important to patient safety and commercial success, many pharmaceutical manufacturers are hard at work integrating key workflows and instrumentation with their existing LIMS platforms. The global LIMS integration market has expanded to $1.85 billion with projected 7% annual growth for the rest of this decade, thanks to potential advantages that include:

  • Increased efficiency, accuracy, and consistency
  • Greater institutional data access
  • Single data entry point and paperless operations
  • More rigorous control over data integrity
  • Reduced risk and avoidance of regulatory issues

However, complete digitalization is an uphill battle as long as most quality control (QC) labs continue to use traditional manual enumeration methods for activities such as bioburden testing and environmental monitoring. Manual enumeration and data entry leave a sizable gap when you’re trying to build more robust data trails for process monitoring and regulator audits. There are also other problems with traditional compendial, growth-based methods: human error and fatigue, lengthy time to result (TTR), dependence on paper workflows, and the potential for fraud when manually entering data.

DOWNLOAD OUR WHITEPAPER
LIMS Integration: Overcoming the Hurdle of Microbial QC Digitalization

In our recent LIMS integration whitepaper, Rapid Micro Biosystems explains why advanced QC microbiology labs are adopting automated RMMs such as the Growth Direct® System to perform critical bioburden, environment, and personnel monitoring. Automated RMM systems make it possible to track, load, incubate, and analyze many samples simultaneously, resulting in significant new efficiencies. In fact, McKinsey & Company has noted that automated and digitalized microbiology labs can reduce costs by approximately 10-25%, while improving productivity by an average of 50-100%.

LIMS-Ready Microbial Enumeration

An ideal automated RMM should seamlessly integrate with your LIMS and help to improve your data integrity by eliminating manual transcription and multi-point data entry, while collecting critical metadata and securing data access. This way RMM data is shared directly across your organization, helping your team stay connected, identify issues early, and increase overall transparency.

The more broadly compatible and versatile an automated RMM is with a broad range of LIMS, the easier it will be to find a reliable match. That is a key attribute of the Growth Direct® System, which was explicitly designed for universal communication with other systems back in 2014. By using a Growth Direct® instrument you can connect a critical automated workflow to your existing LIMS and remove potential sources of human error, while maximizing data integrity.

Our track record of successful integration projects includes LIMS platforms such as:

  • LabVantage
  • LabWare
  • MODA
  • Novatek
  • SAP
  • Sample Manager
  • StarLIMS

A key benefit of the automated link between LIMS such as these and the Growth Direct® System is data integrity. Here's what Kham Nguyen, Director of Validations at Rapid Micro Biosystems, had to say on the subject during a recent question-and-answer article:

If you’re paperless for 99% of the process but someone could accidentally or purposely enter the wrong number during that last critical step, where does that leave you? Integrating your LIMS with technologies like the Growth Direct® System for microbial enumeration does not allow the end user to intercept or manipulate that data. Whatever the result is, it automatically goes to your LIMS, and it really closes and secures that whole data cycle.

Proven Connectivity and Validation Support

LIMS integration isn’t a minor step. It can prove difficult for many of today’s automation platforms. But Rapid Micro Biosystems has long emphasized a commitment to helping partners install and validate the Growth Direct® System, and one of our unique strengths is an expert staff that has helped to troubleshoot and correct issues with varied LIMS for pharmaceutical companies worldwide. To learn how your company can overcome automation hurdles and achieve full LIMS integration of your QC microbiology operations, contact Rapid Micro Biosystems.

Learn how we're taking the Growth Direct® System to a higher level of integration, with RMBNucleus™ software. Check it out!

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