QIAGEN’s Path to Lab Digitalization with L7|ESP™

by L7 Informatics | posted on December 08, 2023

In a world where technological advancements are driving innovation across industries, the field of molecular biology and diagnostics is no exception. Helen Pye, a Manager within the Molecular Assay Development Department at QIAGEN in Manchester, UK, shares her journey of implementing L7|ESP, a fully digitalized platform that is changing the game for QIAGEN’s laboratory operations. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the fascinating digital transformation taking place at QIAGEN and explore the potential benefits of digitalization in the world of molecular biology and precision diagnostics.

A Digital System to Improve Efficiency

QIAGEN is a global leader in molecular diagnostics and life sciences. With a presence in more than 500,000 customers worldwide and a focus on enabling molecular insights for research and clinical healthcare, QIAGEN is committed to implementing a digital system that would eliminate the need for manual documentation of product development activities. The importance of this transformation becomes evident when considering the impact on patient’s lives and the need for stringent documentation required in the development of medical devices. Through this digital transformation, QIAGEN will gain seamless access to data, improving efficiency and quality across their labs. 

The Power of Collaboration 

Implementing a digital system comes with its set of challenges. A unique challenge that QIAGEN faced was translating their technical requirements into functional features. QIAGEN’s scientists had to communicate with software developers who had no particular background in molecular biology. To bridge this gap, they organized a workshop that allowed the developers to gain a deeper understanding of the lab’s operations. This collaboration led to faster implementation of their design requirements, with developers even suggesting additional features that hadn’t been considered.

The Benefits of Digitalization

The benefits of digitalization at QIAGEN are far-reaching. The L7|ESP platform has eliminated the time-consuming process of manual documentation and improved efficiency and quality. The QIAGEN Team can now scan samples, reagents, consumables, and equipment, enabling the system to recognize expired reagents or out-of-calibrated equipment, ultimately improving data integrity. The digital system also tracks and traces each step of experiments, providing clear evidence for reporting.

What’s Next for QIAGEN

Having successfully implemented the digital system, QIAGEN plans to expand its usage across more projects in Manchester. We are also excited about QIAGEN utilizing the L7|ESP Notebooks app for a more fluid documentation process, particularly during the early stages of assay development. They aim to extend this digital revolution to other platforms, including next-generation sequencing and digital PCR, with a long-term plan for global adoption of the digital system.

QIAGEN’s journey towards digitalization is a testament to technology’s positive impact on molecular biology and precision diagnostics. QIAGEN’s commitment to innovation and collaboration has led to significant improvements in efficiency, quality, and, ultimately, the potential to make improvements in life through precision diagnostics.  

Watch the entire webinar for the full story:

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have more questions or would like a demo of the L7|ESP platform.