About
People
Dr. Erez Matalon Head of Assay Development & CMC Support
Overall Goal
Storing, managing, and tracking huge amounts of data in a user-friendly system and easily complying with regulations.
Approach
Investing in a cloud-based ELN solution to manage data and inventory.
Results
- Countless hours saved managing and tracking data
- Scientists are free to focus on their research
- Enhanced communication results in better collaboration and a quicker turnaround
Dr. Erez Matalon
Head of Assay Development & CMC Support
BiomX is a microbiome drug discovery company developing customized phage therapies that seek and destroy harmful bacteria in chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cancer.
The BiomX team discovers and validates proprietary bacterial targets and customizes the natural and engineered phage compositions against these targets with computational and synthetic biology platforms.
The microbiome – the community of bacteria residing in and on the human body – is an exciting and fast-developing field at the crossroads of pharmaceuticals and nutrition, offering abundant opportunities for the development of novel therapies. The multitude of biological processes and indications influenced by the microbiome render it vital to our health. The composition of the microbiome, and especially our gut bacteria, have been linked to various health conditions, including allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, and cancer.
We interviewed Dr. Erez Matalon, Head of Assay Development and CMC Support at BiomX.
Challenges
The key challenge that BiomX faced was the need to store, manage, and track huge amounts of accumulated data. “We looked for a platform that would enable us to share and search data within context and generate relevant insights from the data collected," explains Erez. "We also needed a user-friendly system in which we could store data properly while ensuring regulatory compliance and easily searching the data repository. “Our goal was to properly document and store all our data, which was saved in many different places, denying us the ability to track the progress of projects and link results within experiment, including the metadata. Moreover, we wanted a system that had a support team and that didn't require hours of onboarding.”
Choosing Labguru
After researching various options, BiomX chose Labguru. “We found Labguru very user-friendly and intuitive," says Erez. "Labguru has many benefits and rose to all of our key challenges: it provided the ability to plan and track our different projects, store the results and communicate within context, and comply with regulatory demands. It even has a useful inventory management module!”
When it comes to professional support, Erez and his team are extremely satisfied. “We felt that Labguru’s customer success and technical teams were extremely helpful throughout the onboarding process and after, during day-to-day work - they are always on top of things whenever they are needed. We found that the Labguru team is very responsive to our comments and suggestions and has the ability to provide quick turnarounds’, Erez gushes.
Increased efficiency
“Most of the people in our company use Labguru," reports Erez. "The scientists document the data, the team leaders are responsible for reviewing and signing the work, and the project managers manage the folders in each project. Labguru's “sign and witness” option is critical for staying aligned with compliance regulations. And we use Labguru to share and review results, document reports, and write work protocols and SOPs."
Erez and his team are excited about how Labguru transformed the way they manage their research: "We save time on searching for samples because we use the inventory management module. Our documentation process is much simpler now that everything is well documented in Labguru: all the projects and experiments are planned and tracked, results are recorded within Labguru and links are placed between projects and experiments when needed. Communication has also been streamlined because Labguru ensures that all discussions are within context. We can even use Labguru to mail documents to others for review, and this is an easy way to communicate internally and provide feedback.”
Labguru’s customer success and technical teams were extremely helpful throughout the onboarding process and after, during day-to-day work - they are always on top of things whenever they are needed. We found that the Labguru team is very responsive to our comments and suggestions and has the ability to provide quick turnarounds.
Collaboration
Erez is excited about how Labguru improved communication and collaboration within BiomX. “Before Labguru, most comments were sent via email or notes, and they weren't linked to experiments or results," he recounts. "Today all comments and results are linked to the right experiment, and most comments are generated within Labguru, helping us to keep the discussion within context”.
ROI from Labguru
Erez reports that using Labguru saves his company countless work hours and improves his lab's efficiency. He believes that one of Labguru’s greatest advantages is that it allows BiomX researchers to use much more of their time to do actual research, instead of wasting it on mundane tasks. He also feels that Labguru makes his team's work more communicative and yields a quicker turnaround since decisions can be made faster.