The scientific workplace is evolving with an increasing focus on collaboration, inclusivity, and interdisciplinary research. Scientists from different fields and specialties are coming together to solve complex problems, necessitating a new type of lab that promotes teamwork and idea-sharing. This has led to the rise of open lab spaces with flexible, modular designs that can quickly be adjusted to meet the constantly changing needs of science.

The post White Paper – DIGITAL BY DESIGN: Next Generation Workplaces For The Lab Of The Future appeared first on Astrix.

The scientific workplace is evolving with an increasing focus on collaboration, inclusivity, and interdisciplinary research. Scientists from different fields and specialties are coming together to solve complex problems, necessitating a new type of lab that promotes teamwork and idea-sharing. This has led to the rise of open lab spaces with flexible, modular designs that can quickly be adjusted to meet the constantly changing needs of science.

These modern scientific workspaces are equipped with advanced technologies like robotics, cloud-based solutions driven by artificial intelligence (AI) & machine learning (ML), and digital connectivity, enabling scientists to automate routine tasks and gain access to vast amounts of data. Additionally, these technologies provide scientists with powerful tools to analyze and interpret data, allowing for faster breakthroughs.

Moving Non-Lab Functions out of the Lab

Most non-research activities have already transitioned from the lab bench to workspaces better suited for computational work, data analysis, writing, and collaboration. Some companies, including AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, collocate scientists with operational departments such as legal, marketing, and sales to promote knowledge sharing and capitalize on the advantages that come from combining them. At AstraZeneca’s Lab and Office Facility (pictured above) in South San Francisco, central gathering spaces, stairways, and conference and lounge areas encourage social interaction and idea-sharing.²

Tailoring Space for Innovation & Inclusion

Tech R&D companies are investing in state-of-the-art research labs to fuel collaboration and innovation. These next-generation labs feature open, modular spaces that can be reconfigured on-demand to support collaboration or focused work, while smart technologies allow workspaces to be tailored to the precise needs of scientific research.

Lab managers and designers are putting even greater emphasis on ergonomics, safety, and sustainability in developing the lab of the future. This shift in focus stems from the recognition that these factors can profoundly impact laboratory productivity, profitability, and the well-being of the researchers.

Promoting workplace diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is essential in today’s world. HOK’s research suggests that the key to fostering an inclusive workplace ecosystem is providing employees with options regarding where and how they work. It is also crucial for organizations to consider the needs of individuals with neurodivergence.

Studies suggest that an estimated 15-20% of the world’s population exhibits some form of neurodivergence, including conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia. When designing labs and workspaces, labs should focus as much on the users as the science.

Understanding the connection between multi-dimensional stimulus triggers and design elements is vital to creating an accommodating and stimulating environment for individuals with neurodivergence and can benefit all employees.

By creating highly flexible workspaces optimized for productivity, safety, and the diverse needs of employees, these companies are pioneering work environments engineered for the future of scientific R&D.

Sanofi Cambridge Crossing, Cambridge MA³

The Next Generation Lab: Safety, Connectivity & Efficiency

As the world of science and technology continues to evolve, the need for labs that are safe, digitally enabled, and efficient has never been greater. We are entering a new paradigm of the lab, where the latest technologies, such as AI, automation, predictive modeling, data visualization, smart building systems, and cloud computing, are ushering in a new era for laboratories and providing scientists with powerful new tools to conduct their work.

Eight technological trends that are transforming the ways scientists work and shaping the future of research include:

1. Automation of manual lab processes improves accuracy and efficiency.
2. Robotics provide enhanced functionality, safety, and increased throughput.
3. Virtual and Augmented Reality data analysis and visualization technologies for better insights and decision-making.
4. Cloud-based SaaS allows for scalable infrastructure, data security, accessibility, and real-time collaboration to increase productivity and accelerate research.
5. Connectivity facilitates the seamless transfer of data, enhanced regulatory compliance, and data-centric lab workflows.
6. Smart devices provide real-time monitoring of processes, environmental control and enable remote access to data and equipment.
7. Smart building systems improve security, optimize space utilization, and allow real-time occupancy management.
8. Sustainable labs create eco-conscious, high-performance workplaces that use energy-efficient devices and on-demand resource management to reduce their environmental footprint. These green initiatives help businesses to reduce waste, optimize energy usage, and promote responsible resource management.

In today’s fast-paced and digitally reliant world, laboratories in the life science industry must achieve full digital connectivity. However, despite significant advancements in technology, the results of Astrix’s 2022 market research study on digital enablement reveal that most labs need help with this challenge.⁴ Statistics show that only 11% of surveyed labs have achieved full digital connectivity, while 30% have mostly siloed technologies resulting in outdated and redundant data management systems.

Isolated lab systems lead to manual work and critical data loss while reducing effective collaboration opportunities. Therefore, it is essential for labs to re-evaluate their digital strategies to break down silos and achieve full connectivity. By doing so, labs can streamline communication, automate manual work, eliminate redundancies, and enhance data-sharing capabilities. Ultimately, this can increase overall productivity and enable labs to work collaboratively toward achieving the best scientific outcomes.

Designing the Digital Lab of the Future

As life science R&D organizations operate on a global scale with increasing external collaboration, it has become imperative to establish an integrated digital lab that can manage the bi-directional flow of data across multiple business and informatics platforms, all while ensuring data security and regulatory compliance. Achieving full digital connectivity requires a comprehensive and scalable system architecture that integrates all processes, systems, personnel, and data, truly transforming lab environments. The rapid pace of life science R&D demands that organizations adopt digital connectivity and embrace its potential, as it can substantially improve efficiency, quality, and speed to market.

These technologies have a multifaceted impact on lab spaces as well. While many organizations have streamlined workflows and created more efficient use of space required for research, others need more sophisticated infrastructure and specialized equipment that increase the footprint needs. For example, HOK recently designed space for a pharmaceutical company reliant on robots for bespoke support. As automation and robotics take on more work traditionally completed by lab techs and support staff, the need for ultra-flexible lab spaces that integrate AI-powered research tools and systems becomes paramount.

Conclusion

The next-generation laboratory is designed with a focus on sustainability, accessibility, and collaboration. The lab’s design aims to create a high-performance workplace that enables researchers to be productive, engaged, connected, and happy, whether working remotely or in the lab. The lab’s greater emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity accommodates different types of researchers, including those with disabilities, promoting diversity in the scientific community.

Moreover, the lab’s emphasis on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and open workspaces encourages scientists from different disciplines to interact and discuss their research, leading to innovation and new approaches to R&D. The lab’s focus on data-centric workflows incorporating AI/ML and virtual and augmented reality technologies allows researchers to visualize and interact with their data in a more immersive way, leading to better decision-making and more informed insights.

The future of the laboratory is here. With the advent of next-generation workspaces, researchers have a highly advanced and efficient research environment that leverages technology to increase efficiency and sustainability while encouraging inclusivity and knowledge sharing. With its cutting-edge technologies, this new environment has the potential to revolutionize the entire research landscape, making it easier for researchers to collaborate, share ideas, and make groundbreaking discoveries.

About HOK

HOK is a renowned global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm that employs a team of approximately 1,600 individuals situated across 26 offices spanning three continents. The firm’s core mission is to design innovative and sustainable buildings and spaces that respond to the needs of people and the environment. HOK’s designers are rooted in technical excellence, driven by imagination, and focused on a solitary goal: to deliver solutions that inspire clients and communities. HOK’s Science + Technology practice specializes in creating spaces that advance innovative scientific discovery in buildings of every shape and size. To learn more about HOK, visit www.hok.com and www.hok.com/projects/market/science-technology/.

About Astrix

Astrix is the unrivaled market leader in creating & delivering innovative strategies, technology solutions, and people to the life science community. Through world-class people, process, and technology, Astrix works with clients to fundamentally improve business, scientific, and medical outcomes and the quality of life everywhere. Founded by scientists to solve the unique challenges of the life science community, Astrix offers a growing array of fully integrated services designed to deliver value to clients across their organizations. To learn the latest about how Astrix is transforming the way science-based businesses succeed today, visit www.astrixinc.com. 

References:

¹J. Cooper, T.O’Connell, and R.Williamson, “Trends in the Scientific Workplace: The Shape of Labs to Come,” 2022, https://www.hok.com/ideas/publications/trends-in-the-scientific-workplace-the-shape-of-labs-to-come/, accessed May 5, 2023.

²HOK, “AstraZeneca Lab and Office Facility,” 2022, https://www.hok.com/projects/view/astrazeneca-lab-and-office-facility/, accessed May 8, 2023.

³HOK, “HOK Designing Life Sciences Research Hub for Sanofi,” March 15, 2022, HOK Designing Life Sciences Research Hub for Sanofi – HOK, accessed May 10, 2023.

⁴Astrix, “2022 Laboratory Informatics, Progress Snapshot on Enabling the Digital Lab of the Future,” June 2022, https://astrixinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Progress-Snapshot-on-Enabling-the-Digital-Lab-of-the-Future-v4a.pdf, accessed May 8, 2023.

The post Digital by Design: Next Generation Scientific Workplace for the Lab of the Future appeared first on Astrix.

Dotmatics, a scientific informatics software and services company that is driving the automation of laboratory data workflows for scientific discovery and innovation research, have partnered with LabVoice to provide scientists with the ability to record, access, and track data within an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) using hands-free, voice assisted technology. The integration streamlines data capture into Dotmatics’ web-based ELN through LabVoice’s scientific virtual assistant, saving scientists’ time and improving overall data integrity.

Manual data entry, especially on a large scale, can be hindered by speed, accuracy, and misinterpretation. Through this collaboration, scientists will now be able to operate in a hands-free laboratory environment, using their voice to request the status of instruments, sort samples, capture measurements and adjust experiments all in real-time, improving data integrity and user compliance. Streamlined data capture within the ELN will avoid duplicate transcription and save time by reducing unnecessary movement between the computer and lab bench. This innovative technology also eliminates the burden on scientists who are required to use personal protection equipment each time they re-enter the lab. LabVoice’s scientific virtual assistant will guide users through experimental protocols, prompting the next step in the workflow, making it faster and easier to complete tasks, while ensuring efficient data capture which can be accessed immediately through the ELN.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with LabVoice and are inspired by the possibilities our customers now have in automating data from scientists in real-time, further complemented by our instrument data capture offering on behalf of BioBright. By streamlining research workflows, scientists will be free to spend more time on analysis and decision making with the cleanest and best data. We’re now looking to identify additional client use cases and in the longer-term hope to integrate LabVoice’s technology with a range of Dotmatics software to support customers journeys towards the lab of the future.”  Dr. Stephen Gallagher, Co-Founder and CEO, Dotmatics

The combination of the Dotmatics ELN and the LabVoice platform offers researchers a significant step change in the digital transformation of their current laboratory workflows. This new technology allows scientists to focus on the science of their experiments while leveraging digital assistance to increase their laboratory efficiency, data integrity and facilitate regulatory compliance.

Astrix Technology Group has over 25 years’ experience helping scientific organizations architect, select, implement, integrate and validate laboratory informatics technologies. Our experienced professionals have the knowledge and expertise to help navigate your digital transformation journey.

The post Dotmatics collaborates with LabVoice to enable voice assisted laboratory workflows appeared first on Astrix.

Upon learning of the attack, the company disabled its email system and 70,000 employees were forbidden from touching their computers and told to go home. All said, the Merck’s global manufacturing, research and sales were impacted for nearly a week, costing the company an estimated $310 million dollars in the third quarter of 2017 due to increases in the cost of goods sold and operating expenses, along with lost sales.

Pharmaceutical companies typically have large quantities of research, clinical trial and patient data, along with critical intellectual property (IP), to protect. As a result, Life Science companies are an enticing target for cybercriminals. But its not just external threats from hackers or malware that pharmaceutical companies face, there are also internal threats due to disgruntled, malicious or noncompliant employees that need to be addressed.

According to a recent report by Gartner, businesses spent over $114 billion worldwide for security services and products in 2018 alone. With expanding connectivity of information systems, laboratory instruments, computer work-stations, and mobile devices to the internet and wireless networks, data protection and security have become critical components of laboratory information technology (IT) infrastructure for the pharmaceutical industry.

As industry-leading pharmaceutical organizations strive to integrate legacy systems and digitize all aspects of the product lifecycle in order to gain a competitive edge, the need to continuously protect all forms of data in all locations and transmissions can become a challenging task. In this blog, we provide some best practice recommendations for maintaining laboratory data security.

Hardware Security

Out-of-date operating systems. One of the biggest data vulnerabilities in pharmaceutical companies occurs because laboratories often run proprietary, highly customized software on lab computers. This prevents timely operating system upgrades and security patches, leaving these computers vulnerable to hackers. It is common to see Windows XP or even Windows 95 operating on laboratory computers, making security patches on these machines virtually impossible.

Windows XP was in fact leveraged by the hackers in the Merck data breach described above. If out-of-date operating systems are required to run certain software in your laboratory, best practice is to isolate those machines behind several layers of protection and keep them segregated from your main network.

Malware Protection.  Modern anti-virus software can protect computers from computer viruses, trojan horses, computer worms, spyware, ransomware, etc. This software is critical due to the increased number and severity of cyber-attack threats. All laboratory computers should have robust anti-virus software installed and configured for automated, regular virus definition updates and file scanning. Various internet software suites can provide additional security by adding firewalls and application access control or privacy features. Additionally, workforce policies and procedures and employee education are highly recommended to prevent at risk behaviors.

Interfaced instruments. Laboratory instruments these days run widely-used windows operating systems and Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) based network protocols for communications. This exposes them to the same security issues as laboratory computers, meaning the instrument’s operating system and hardware protection must be approached similarly to typical computers.

Mobile devices. Increased use of mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) and wireless medical devices can create significant data security challenges for pharmaceutical companies. Companies should take steps to develop secure authentication for mobile devices, along with the ability to track and secure mobile devices remotely by locking or wiping out information.

Network Security

On-premise hosting data security. With internet connectivity, data security involves not only safeguarding computers themselves, but also protecting the network and the information that is stored and transmitted. Until fairly recently, many pharmaceutical laboratories licensed informatics software such as laboratory information management systems (LIMS) from a vendor and installed directly in the lab server/computers in what is known as an on-premise deployment. This hosting option allows strong data security with data protected by the company firewall, although using cloud-based services (e.g., attachments in Gmail, dropbox/box, etc.) behind your firewall is a possible point of failure.

External and cloud-based hosting data security. In recent years, several vendors have begun to offer deployment compatible with external hosting, offering full application functionality accessed through a device’s web browser and hosted at a third-party data center. In addition, there are now fully external cloud-based “Software-as-a-service” offerings. While on-premise hosting behind the company firewall can provide the best data security, data security in the cloud has come a long way in recent years, and single-tenant, private cloud hosting options do exist with enhanced security.

The bottom line is that, when utilizing external or cloud-based hosting for informatics software, it is critical for companies to do a thorough audit of the network vendor to ensure adequate security is in place. What does their network configuration look like? How often do they perform security audits? This vendor audit can either be done by a skilled in-house IT team or outsourced to a qualified external consultant.

HIPAA compliance. In the United States, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates certain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the privacy and protection of patient medical information and health records. For internet transmission of patient data, the minimum security requirements stipulated by HIPAA utilize Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocols, which encrypt data using a private key, to protect patient confidentiality. Web servers supporting SSL protocols have web addresses starting with “https” instead of “http.” Virtual private network technology provides another option for HIPAA compliance, securing communication over public networks by creating a secure tunnel and encrypting all data.

Application Security

Passwords. Another important aspect of ensuring data security in pharmaceutical laboratories is making sure that the informatics solutions themselves have best practice data security features. Written policies are required to document the manner in which employees gain access to information systems. All applications will have passwords enabled as the main method of user authentication. Organizations should formulate procedures for creating, changing and safeguarding passwords that allow access to systems with critical data. Regulations also mandate that strong passwords be enforced for logging in to all information systems and medical applications. Applications should have security questions enabled to permit easy recovery of lost password.

Two-factor authentication. Sometimes a strong password simply isn’t enough to prevent hackers from accessing your applications. Best practice is to utilize two-factor authentication (2FA) to make sure accounts don’t get hacked. After entering a password, users are prompted to enter a code generated by an application or sent to your smartphone. Applications utilized by pharmaceutical laboratories should ideally have 2FA capabilities.

Role-based access control. Pharmaceutical laboratory information systems should also have the ability to control which users can use the system, what information they have access to, and what they can do with the data (e.g., read only, or the ability to change or delete data) with role-based permissions. Role-based access control (RBAC) allows access to information in the system based on the specific role of the user.

Computer systems should also have the ability to accommodate special situations and override standard RBAC settings in case of emergency. Finally, organizations should have procedures in place to maintain the RBAC system, adjusting permissions when necessary and terminating access when employees leave the company.

Personnel Security

Employee training and compliance. All laboratory personnel should have a basic understanding of data security threats and comply with company policies and procedures designed to prevent them. Security awareness training should be provided for all employees at the time of their hire, and this initial training should be reinforced periodically with follow-up security reminders. Compliance must be enforced in the laboratory and needs to be monitored on a regular basis through an audit and risk analysis process. Training and compliance software is available to get signoff from your lab personnel that they understand data security.

Peripheral devices. Any IT hardware, namely computer terminals, should be viewed as a potential site for rouge employees to extract data via peripheral storage devices (e.g., USB thumb drives, eSATA disk drives). Software/hardware solutions need to be in place to prevent this scenario unless the employee is specifically authorized. Appropriate steps also need to be taken to prevent employees from working with non-company machines.

Conclusion

While there are clear benefits to connected operations in pharmaceutical laboratories in terms of data integrity, innovation and operational efficiency, this connectivity also creates serious security risks that must be addressed. There is no magic bullet when it comes to data security – no single methodology or technology will get the job done. Data security efforts must therefore be comprehensive using multiple layers of protection.

Companies should undertake regular assessments of data security risks and develop a comprehensive data security strategy that uses multiple layers of protection in each of the areas described in this article – hardware security, network security, application security and personnel security. Additionally, data security concerns need to be a big part of the selection process when choosing applications to implement in your laboratory.

Astrix  has over 20 years of experience implementing laboratory informatics applications in ways that maximize data security. Our experienced professionals help implement innovative informatics solutions that allow organizations to turn data into knowledge, increase organizational efficiency, improve quality and facilitate regulatory compliance.

The post Tips for Maintaining Laboratory Data Security appeared first on Astrix.