5 Trends Ushering in the Future of Scientific Labs
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Thanks to new trends emerging in the scientific community, today's laboratories are quickly becoming idealized labs of the future. Sectors from engineering to vendors and IT are causing research environments to undergo a drastic change. A push for agile software started this progressive trend, but these five trends are redefining it.
- Electronic Regulatory Compliance
Virtual processes are quickly replacing physical ones, allowing everything from freezer storage to managing data servers to be revamped. This change allows scientists on multiple teams to share information in rapid fashion. Anything done on paper can now be completed via cloud-capable software, with spreadsheets from Clockspot making an excellent example.
Documentation is moving to a more seamless process as well thanks to mobile computing platforms. Labs are sharing their findings via new developments in network connectivity, as well. Combined, turnaround times for accurate results take days instead of a month or more.
- Increased Collaboration
Network connectivity and new data sharing technology are just the beginning of increased collaboration. Labs themselves now feature shared common spaces where multidisciplinary research teams can communicate and share resources under the same roof.
Video conferencing has also improved in the past decade, allowing teams to communicate from anywhere in the world with other labs. Thanks to these increased collaboration technologies, ingle-location studies have been done away with.
- The In Vivo Revolution
Despite numerous advancements in virtual realtor simulators, laboratories are a long way off from using purely computer modeled subjects. The way those labs use live subjects, however, has changed. Today's scientists are utilizing new In Vivo methods that allow them to limit the number of subjects needed in a study.
With a 70% similar genetic makeup to the human body, Zebrafish make an excellent example. Easier to house and care for, they already save on cost. However, In Vivo studies allow scientists to work on the entire living organism without the need for extracted or dead samples, leading to more quantitative research.
At the same time, bioinformatics and development platforms are continuing to grow. These add to In Vivo studies by providing the means to monitor conditions more easily. New data management software also makes it easier to report on those conditions, you can find out more details here.
- All About Analytics
As all of these ways to accumulate data improve, that data will come in faster than ever before. To accommodate this speed of information, the industry must place its focus on analytics over traditional lab techniques.
Equipment manufacturers are already looking into how their products can automate physical techniques to accommodate this change in mindsets, with items like touch walls and large format screens becoming essential for rapid data processing. Thanks to their intuitive design, these devices also coincide with increased collaboration efforts.
- Automate and Conquer
Laboratories across the globe are working to automate any function possible, starting with sample prep work. What postgrads could once expect to perform on the job is being replaced by automated technologies, allowing more minds to focus on analyzation instead of tedious tasks.
Labs will need to house these automated devices, but that doesn't seem to be a problem as of yet with advanced technologies fitting into smaller spaces. Genomic sequencing technology, for example, is a mere fraction of the size it was just five years ago.
Thanks to new trends emerging in the scientific community, today's laboratories are quickly becoming idealized labs of the future. Sectors from engineering to vendors and IT are causing research environments to undergo a drastic change. A push for agile software started this progressive trend, but these five trends are redefining it.
- Electronic Regulatory Compliance
Virtual processes are quickly replacing physical ones, allowing everything from freezer storage to managing data servers to be revamped. This change allows scientists on multiple teams to share information in rapid fashion. Anything done on paper can now be completed via cloud-capable software, with spreadsheets from Clockspot making an excellent example.
Documentation is moving to a more seamless process as well thanks to mobile computing platforms. Labs are sharing their findings via new developments in network connectivity, as well. Combined, turnaround times for accurate results take days instead of a month or more.
- Increased Collaboration
Network connectivity and new data sharing technology are just the beginning of increased collaboration. Labs themselves now feature shared common spaces where multidisciplinary research teams can communicate and share resources under the same roof.
Video conferencing has also improved in the past decade, allowing teams to communicate from anywhere in the world with other labs. Thanks to these increased collaboration technologies, ingle-location studies have been done away with.
- The In Vivo Revolution
Despite numerous advancements in virtual realtor simulators, laboratories are a long way off from using purely computer modeled subjects. The way those labs use live subjects, however, has changed. Today's scientists are utilizing new In Vivo methods that allow them to limit the number of subjects needed in a study.
With a 70% similar genetic makeup to the human body, Zebrafish make an excellent example. Easier to house and care for, they already save on cost. However, In Vivo studies allow scientists to work on the entire living organism without the need for extracted or dead samples, leading to more quantitative research.
At the same time, bioinformatics and development platforms are continuing to grow. These add to In Vivo studies by providing the means to monitor conditions more easily. New data management software also makes it easier to report on those conditions, you can find out more details here.
- All About Analytics
As all of these ways to accumulate data improve, that data will come in faster than ever before. To accommodate this speed of information, the industry must place its focus on analytics over traditional lab techniques.
Equipment manufacturers are already looking into how their products can automate physical techniques to accommodate this change in mindsets, with items like touch walls and large format screens becoming essential for rapid data processing. Thanks to their intuitive design, these devices also coincide with increased collaboration efforts.
- Automate and Conquer
Laboratories across the globe are working to automate any function possible, starting with sample prep work. What postgrads could once expect to perform on the job is being replaced by automated technologies, allowing more minds to focus on analyzation instead of tedious tasks.
Labs will need to house these automated devices, but that doesn't seem to be a problem as of yet with advanced technologies fitting into smaller spaces. Genomic sequencing technology, for example, is a mere fraction of the size it was just five years ago.