The Garvan Institute of Medical Research is a leading medical research institute in Australia, employing over 700 scientists and support staff. Garvan researchers have established a cancer tumour testing service that is designed to detect mutations to help oncologists determine treatment strategies. To handle the increasingly large volumes of samples it is anticipating, a new laboratory information management system (LIMS) was needed. This case study highlights how QLIMS helped the laboratory overcome these challenges.

The Challenge

Some challenges may arise in sample traceability in laboratories. These could be implementation and integration, user errors, system errors, lack of training, maintenance and updates and data security.

Luke Hesson is the Laboratory Head of Cancer Diagnostics at Garvan. According to Luke, the challenge was to ensure that the lab would be able to cope with the sheer volume of samples—potentially 1000+ per year.

“We’ll need to know at any given point where every sample is in the testing process. Without a LIMS that would be incredibly challenging and prone to human error, which would have a flow-on effect on our clinical trials.”

While the Garvan Institute was already using a number of different LIMS, none of them was suitable. Fortunately, he had previous experience with OnQ Software through another lab at the Garvan Institute.

“They’ve always been incredibly responsive and helpful, so I felt they were tried and trusted. It turns out they had an off-the-shelf solution called QLIMS, that met around 75% of our requirements, with the flexibility to be effectively adapted for our needs.” he says.

The Solution

The solution provided for the automated import of data from various sources. Automatic patient report generation was a huge part of the solution. “We can now, at the click of a button, export all of the data into a report that can go to the clinician and patient. Not only are they incredibly accurate, but the reports also look great.”

Another key part of the solution required OnQ to design a tool to read a Health Level 7 (HL7) file.

Luke says, “HL7 is an international standard data encryption method that allows us to securely communicate sensitive patient information between labs. Because the first stage of the process involves receiving data from a SydPath pathology lab at St Vincent’s Hospital, the data is encrypted before we receive it. This solution streamlined our sample accessioning, making it much more efficient.”

The Results

Luke is delighted that the Garvan Institute has just received National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation with QLIMS.

“All of those key points needed to be addressed to the satisfaction of NATA so it’s reaffirmed the chain of information custody is accurate and secure. It’s absolutely critical for any clinical testing. And I believe that’s a direct result of the assistance we’ve had from OnQ in designing a LIMS that allows fidelity of chain of information custody.”

If you’re interested in learning more about how our QLIMS can benefit your laboratory or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team of experts would be happy to assist you in finding the best solution for your laboratory needs.