HUNT Biobank has selected Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS to gather, store, manage, track and retrieve the biological data of approximately 100,000 people from Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway, as part of one of the largest population-based health studies ever performed.
Initiated to support epidemiological, clinical and preventative medical research, HUNT Biobank studies provide insight into disease status and progression, particularly in relation to quality of life measures such as environment, education and occupation. Spanning almost 25 years, HUNT Biobank now represents an integrated family and personal database.
In the selection of Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS, HUNT Biobank required a system that would interface with the laboratory’s existing robotics, import files from the hospital laboratory and then return results for every participant.
Participation from the population has been successful in large part because every participant receives the feedback document reporting their health status, facilitated by Nautilus LIMS. The LIMS was also required to provide clinical follow-up, data handling and quality control following data collection and distribute coded data files to various research groups.
Additionally, the LIMS would serve as the means of linking information from the extensive HUNT database to each study participant’s personal identity number, as well as to end-point national health registries. Following a thorough market research, HUNT Biobank selected Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS for its flexibility and ease-of-use and the inherent capability of yielding real-time, dependable analyses and reports, in addition to the extensive Nautilus LIMS installed base of biobanking organiSations, which would provide a network of shared user experiences.
‘The implementation of Nautilus LIMS has set new standards for functionality and efficient use of HUNT Biobank’s laboratory resources. Being totally configurable, the system has been very easy to implement right out-of-the-box and has delivered superior data capture, integration and automation capabilities. It has eliminated transcription errors, while providing our users with access to both raw and derived data. With its built-in instrument integration, Nautilus LIMS has offered significant productivity gains right from the outset. It has been integrated with our existing robotics, and thus has improved the data management process considerably,’ said Thor Gunnar Steinsli, LIMS manager of HUNT Research Centre and Biobank.
The unique security capability of Nautilus LIMS has allowed HUNT Biobank users to keep regulated data separate from unregulated processes. This has ensured maximum data authenticity, integrity and traceability.
Hunt Biobank is now using Nautilus for its most ambitious study, HUNT 3, which is due for completion in June 2008. HUNT 3 incorporates more than 130 sub-studies, including status in subjective health, diabetes, lung, cardiovascular, thyroid, muscle and skeletal diseases, mental diseases, prostate complaints, urinary incontinence, female reproductive disorders and gynaecological diseases.
