About
People
Dr. Fanny Brizzi Information Systems Manager
Overall Goal
Quickly and efficiently digitizing experimental work across a network of labs to improve traceability and experimental outcomes.
Approach
Investing in an intuitive and easily implemented ELN from Labguru.
Results
- 60% of researchers use the Labguru platform daily
- Observed improvements in traceability and the ability to identify factors associated with successful or unsuccessful outcomes
Dr. Fanny Brizzi
Information Systems Manager
INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, boasts a research output estimated at 93,571 peer-reviewed articles and 3,252 patents since 1977. It is also the only French public research institute to focus entirely on human health.
To provide better research services to its researchers and to manage the information infrastructure for the INSERM network of research institutions, the institute has embarked on a colossal pilot program to digitize its experimental information using the Labguru Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) platform.
Four months into the roll-out of the pilot program, we interviewed project leader Dr. Fanny Brizzi, INSERM's Information Systems Manager.
Choosing Labguru
INSERM's troves of experimental knowledge are created across decentralized labs throughout France. The pilot program was designed to digitize laboratory workflows in a uniform manner by making the Labguru ELN available to 300 of INSERM's 5,000 researchers, who specialize in the fields of Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Neurology & Psychiatry, Cancer, Immunology, Inflammation, Infectiology & Microbiology, Public Health, Health Technologies, Molecular & Structural Basis of Life Sciences, Cell Biology, Development & Evolution, and Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics.
Labguru was chosen for the pilot because its platform's intuitive interface and excellent collaboration features stood out in the selection process. The fact that all information would be hosted by Labguru in a local data center in Paris was also an important consideration, as it allayed INSERM’s data protection and privacy concerns.
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Rapid implementation
INSERM researchers were trained to use Labguru in the context of exactly what they were interested in achieving with the tool. This initial training was so successful, that Fanny estimates that 60% of researchers who participated in the pilot are already using the tool on a daily basis.
Labguru has proven especially useful for scientists seeking to produce consistent, high-quality research. For example, Fanny reports that researchers performing flow cytometry or working with genetic sequences find Labguru very useful for managing data output and tracking steps taken in their procedures. Labguru has also replaced the need for printing and the manual exchange of data and reports.
Excellence
Labguru helps researchers pursue excellence by enabling better traceability of data and experimental procedures. As Fanny explains, “Capturing data and procedures in a high quality manner will create a better foundation for future research and ensure that data can be reused and that published experiments can be repeated. This is very important for a world-leading research organization such as INSERM.”
Labguru also rises to the challenge of research continuity by allowing experimental work, equipment, and samples used to be easily examined after research is conducted. Moreover, since student, PhD candidate, and post-doc turnover in INSERM labs is typically high, primary investigators must be able to trace what each researcher has contributed. Fortunately, Labguru provides a user-friendly way to achieve this.
Thanks to Labguru, researchers can trace the root causes of failure and improve future experimental outcomes in the future.
ROI from Labguru
Fanny is thrilled that Labguru improves experimental success rates. “If you conduct six experiments, but only three work, you can see very specific factors that made those experiments work,” she explains, “In the three experiments that didn’t work, for example, you could see that a specific freezer was used them for storage, and you discover that last summer there was a problem with that freezer. Thanks to Labguru, researchers can trace the root causes of failure and improve future experimental outcomes in the future. You have a full picture of what you are doing - not just of the experiment itself but also the inventory and all relevant details."