An Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) is a software that allows scientists, engineers and technicians to document research, experiments and procedures performed in a laboratory.
In its simplest form, an Electronic Lab Notebook replaces paper laboratory notebooks; a functionality which is sometimes referred to as ‘paper on glass’.
Since the primary purpose of an Electronic Lab Notebook is to capture the details of a test or experiment they are test- or experiment-centric. This is in contrast to a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which is sample-centric. For further information on LIMS, read our article on What is a LIMS?
An Electronic Lab Notebook is experiment-centric and a LIMS is sample-centric so many R&D organizations adopt both solutions. Unfortunately, this results in data silos that prevent the context and scientific intelligence of an experiment from being easily consolidated with related sample information and test results. As a consequence, insights that could improve the overall process and ultimately accelerate a product’s time to regulatory submission or commercial launch may be hard to uncover.
Due to the limitations of basic LIMS and Electronic lab notebook solutions, the convergence of both into hybrid solutions that combine the capabilities of a LIMS and an ELN has been happening for over a decade. A Laboratory Execution System (LES) is a specialized variant of an ELN system that enforces procedural execution of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or work instructions.
While some hybrid systems may blend capabilities effectively, there are potential trade-offs to consider. Innovative companies are embracing solutions that include digital workflows designed to create a persistent, dynamic data backbone throughout the BioPharma lifecycle. This provides a solid foundation for analytics, accelerated time-to-insight and future digital twin and in silico modeling.
The flexibility of a basic ELN works well for some types of research but the increasing need for scientists to work collaboratively and share results mean that many teams are looking for something more.
Three questions to ask when considering alternatives to an ELN in research:
Preclinical development is more structured than early research and discovery and LES variants are often used instead of basic ELNs. Quality, compliance and reproducibility are key considerations and the need for advanced sample management, instrument data management and analytics, such as curve fitting, often involves the use of other complementary systems such as LIMS.
Four questions to ask when considering alternatives to an Electronic lab notebook in preclinical development:
To discover what IDBS offers for Preclinical Development, explore Polar BioAnalysis
While flexibility is still important, particularly in early development, process development involves complex workflows as well as inventory/recipe management, sample management and instrument data management. Process development scientists often still use an ELN to record the experimental narrative: objective, method, results and conclusions, but the increasing need to standardize data capture and ensure data quality requires a more structured approach than a basic ELN. In particular, the ability to share and collaborate across teams and support a continuum of work from development through manufacturing is essential to enable a positive feedback loop for continuous improvement.
Seven questions to ask when considering alternatives to an ELN in development:
To discover what IDBS offers for Process Development, explore Polar BioProcess
ELNs are not generally used in manufacturing but in some cases, Electronic lab notebooks may be used to
record a simple electronic batch record and/or record the narrative around QC testing.
While this approach ensures data is captured electronically, it doesn’t enable the analysis of
batch-to-batch variability or continued process verification (CPV)
To discover what IDBS offers for Manufacturing, explore Skyland PIMS
Want to learn more about why modern BioPharma R&D requires more than just a LIMS, an ELN, an LES, or a hybrid solution?
IDBS has a 30+-year history of helping thousands of users across hundreds of organizations around the globe solve their problems and increase their efficiency in research, process design, optimization, scale-up, technology transfer and commercial manufacturing. Our predominant customer base is Life Sciences and includes 23 of the top 25 pharmaceutical companies and more than 250 small and medium-sized pharma and biopharma companies, CROs, CDMOs and CMOs.
The IDBS SaaS cloud platform solutions are all built around the concept of a persistent, dynamic data backbone. This data backbone enables end-to-end data capture, contextualization, visibility and insight across an entire process, or across multiple processes. This allows companies to shift focus from managing their data to business outcomes, process optimization and regulatory compliance.
Read
1. An Integrated Approach to the Data Lifecycle in BioPharma
2. Four Reasons Why a Legacy System Approach Isn’t Suitable for Modern Biopharma Development
3. Accelerating Time-to-Insight Across the BioPharma Lifecycle
4. Can an ELN Be Used as a LIMS?
Watch
1. How to Build Foundations to Enable Insights
2. Reimagining Data Management for Faster, Smarter BioProcess Development