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Background
BIRKA BioStorage is a cGMP compliant repository located in Lund, Sweden, and is certified by the Swedish National Board of Health & Welfare for GMP as well as GDP. They provide a wide range of storage and transport services to researchers, drug developers, and manufacturers worldwide. They store a variety of samples, including clinical trial samples, gene banks, reference and retention samples, viral products, pharmaceutical samples received from scientists, institutions, hospitals, and companies. The Swedish Medical Product Agency (Läkemedelsverket) regularly inspects their premises.
BIRKA BioStorage has a wide variety of storage units ranging from walk-in rooms of 250 m3 to 1 m3 chamber and can store samples in temperatures ranging from -196°C to more than 50°C. The company stores samples in a secure, reliable, temperature-controlled, and fully monitored facility. The mission of the repository is to provide continuous off-site storage and logistics support to its customers.
Business & Operational Challenges
BIRKA Biostorage wanted to automate their workflows and further streamline their highly complex sample management processes. Some of the challenges faced by the company include:
- Managing all types of samples and associated metadata efficiently.
- Ensuring traceability throughout the sample life cycle.
- Automating biobanking workflows to enhance efficiency.
- Tracking and locating stored samples in their repository with ease.
- Generating comprehensive and personalized storage and sample reports.
- Managing shipment of incoming and outgoing samples.
- Assigning role-based access rights to staff.
- Managing customer information and associating samples with customer records.
Quick Overview
Establishment
BIRKA BioStorage is a cGMP and GDP certified repository that provides a wide range of storage and transport services to researchers, drug developers, and manufacturers worldwide. They store a variety of samples, including clinical trial samples, gene banks, reference and retention samples, viral products, pharmaceutical samples received from scientists, institutions, hospitals, and companies. The mission of the repository is to provide continuous off-site storage and logistics support to its customers.
Headquarters
Lund, Sweden
Business Challenges
To automate workflows and streamline their highly complex sample management processes was challenging. A biobank information management system was required for automating biobanking workflows, securely managing, tracking, locating samples, and generating custom sample and storage reports.
Solution
CloudLIMS
Benefits
BIRKA BioStorage is now able to streamline their sample management processes, fully comply with EU directives and follow best practices for sample management, assuring high-quality services to their customers. Additionally, they are able to optimally use their freezers safely and securely with enhanced data security. They have achieved a faster turnaround in processing sample storage requests. CloudLIMS enabled BIRKA BioStorage to meet their business objectives by providing a cost-efficient biobanking LIMS.
Why BIRKA BioStorage Chose CloudLIMS - An All-in-one Biobanking LIMS
To overcome data management, automation, and operational challenges, BIRKA BioStorage decided to upgrade its inventory system. Mr. Hussein Ismail, CEO and Vice President, BIRKA BioStorage AB contacted the CloudLIMS team specifying their data management needs. The CloudLIMS team preconfigured the product in line with the required workflows and demonstrated the product. BIRKA zeroed in on CloudLIMS, a cloud-based Biobanking LIMS, to overcome their data management and operational challenges. The CloudLIMS team conducted multiple training sessions to accelerate the onboarding process. CloudLIMS supports BIRKA BioStorage in the following ways.
- BIRKA BioStorage is able to manage and track samples more efficiently, capture all necessary data, and generate barcodes.
- BIRKA BioStorage is able to mirror their storage inventory using virtual storage units in CloudLIMS, record storage specifications received from their customers, and locate samples stored in storage units with ease.
- CloudLIMS enables BIRKA BioStorage to maintain an automatic audit trail.
- With CloudLIMS, BIRKA BioStorage is able to assign role-based access rights to different users, safeguarding confidential data.
- CloudLIMS automatically records all biobanking activities with a date and time stamp which is crucial during audits by regulatory agencies.
- BIRKA BioStorage is able to more efficiently manage customer information and associate samples with the customers who provided the samples, ensuring the right samples are associated with the right customers.
- CloudLIMS helps BIRKA BioStorage to quickly trace samples stored anywhere in their repository in a few clicks, saving time and effort.
- BIRKA is now able to offer more comprehensive and personalized storage and sample reports to its customers.
- CloudLIMS supports BIRKA’s disaster recovery plan. The data present in CloudLIMS is regularly backed up automatically on multiple servers located at disparate geographical locations, preventing any chances of data loss.
- BIRKA BioStorage is able to reduce the paper based documentation resulting in saving time and supporting more environment friendly solutions.
Benefits Gained by BIRKA BioStorage
After deploying CloudLIMS, BIRKA BioStorage experienced the following benefits:
- Streamlined sample management and storage processes.
- Enhanced data security, data privacy controls, and better collaboration through real-time data sharing.
- Complied with the EU directives and the applicable national laws.
- Turned around sample storage requests, enhancing customer satisfaction.
- Enforced best practices for sample management, assuring high-quality services at all times.
- Offered exemplary customer service to their customers.
- Reduced paper usage by digitizing processes, thereby turning more eco-friendly.
Testimonial
"We wanted to upgrade, digitalize, and automate our inventory system workflows and further streamline our highly complex sample management processes. After deploying CloudLIMS, we are able to manage all types of incoming and outgoing samples more securely and efficiently, to ensure complete sample traceability, and to locate stored samples seamlessly. The CloudLIMS team configured the product to mirror our storage inventory and workflows. I am so happy with CloudLIMS' support and services!"
