<s>
A	O
laboratory	B-Application
information	I-Application
management	I-Application
system	I-Application
(	O
LIMS	B-Application
)	O
,	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
laboratory	B-Application
information	I-Application
system	I-Application
(	O
LIS	O
)	O
or	O
laboratory	O
management	O
system	O
(	O
LMS	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
software-based	O
solution	O
with	O
features	O
that	O
support	O
a	O
modern	O
laboratory	O
's	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Key	O
features	O
include	O
—	O
but	O
are	O
not	O
limited	O
to	O
—	O
workflow	B-Operating_System
and	O
data	O
tracking	O
support	O
,	O
flexible	O
architecture	O
,	O
and	O
data	O
exchange	O
interfaces	O
,	O
which	O
fully	O
"	O
support	O
its	O
use	O
in	O
regulated	O
environments	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
features	O
and	O
uses	O
of	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
have	O
evolved	O
over	O
the	O
years	O
from	O
simple	O
sample	O
tracking	O
to	O
an	O
enterprise	O
resource	O
planning	O
tool	O
that	O
manages	O
multiple	O
aspects	O
of	O
laboratory	B-Application
informatics	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
useful	O
definition	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
LIMS	B-Application
"	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
encompass	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
different	O
laboratory	B-Application
informatics	I-Application
components	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
spread	O
and	O
depth	O
of	O
these	O
components	O
is	O
highly	O
dependent	O
on	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
implementation	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
LIMSs	O
have	O
a	O
workflow	B-Operating_System
component	O
and	O
some	O
summary	O
data	B-General_Concept
management	I-General_Concept
facilities	O
but	O
beyond	O
that	O
there	O
are	O
significant	O
differences	O
in	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Historically	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
,	O
LIS	O
,	O
and	O
process	O
development	O
execution	O
system	O
(	O
PDES	O
)	O
have	O
all	O
performed	O
similar	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
LIMS	B-Application
"	O
has	O
tended	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
informatics	O
systems	O
targeted	O
for	O
environmental	O
,	O
research	O
,	O
or	O
commercial	O
analysis	O
such	O
as	O
pharmaceutical	O
or	O
petrochemical	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
LIS	O
"	O
has	O
tended	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
laboratory	B-Application
informatics	I-Application
systems	I-Application
in	O
the	O
forensics	O
and	O
clinical	O
markets	O
,	O
which	O
often	O
required	O
special	O
case	O
management	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
recent	O
times	O
LIMS	B-Application
functionality	O
has	O
spread	O
even	O
further	O
beyond	O
its	O
original	O
purpose	O
of	O
sample	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assay	O
data	B-General_Concept
management	I-General_Concept
,	O
data	B-Application
mining	I-Application
,	O
data	O
analysis	O
,	O
and	O
electronic	B-Protocol
laboratory	I-Protocol
notebook	I-Protocol
(	O
ELN	O
)	O
integration	O
have	O
been	O
added	O
to	O
many	O
LIMS	B-Application
,	O
enabling	O
the	O
realization	O
of	O
translational	O
medicine	O
completely	O
within	O
a	O
single	O
software	O
solution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
distinction	O
between	O
LIMS	B-Application
and	O
LIS	O
has	O
blurred	O
,	O
as	O
many	O
LIMS	B-Application
now	O
also	O
fully	O
support	O
comprehensive	O
case-centric	O
clinical	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1982	O
the	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
LIMS	B-Application
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
centralized	O
minicomputer	O
,	O
which	O
offered	O
automated	O
reporting	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
interest	O
in	O
these	O
early	O
LIMS	B-Application
grew	O
,	O
industry	O
leaders	O
like	O
Gerst	O
Gibbon	O
of	O
the	O
Federal	O
Energy	O
Technology	O
Center	O
in	O
Pittsburgh	O
began	O
planting	O
the	O
seeds	O
through	O
LIMS-related	O
conferences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1988	O
the	O
second-generation	O
commercial	O
offerings	O
were	O
tapping	O
into	O
relational	B-Application
databases	I-Application
to	O
expand	O
LIMS	B-Application
into	O
more	O
application-specific	O
territory	O
,	O
and	O
International	O
LIMS	B-Application
Conferences	O
were	O
in	O
full	O
swing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
became	O
more	O
powerful	O
and	O
prominent	O
,	O
a	O
third	O
generation	O
of	O
LIMS	B-Application
emerged	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
new	O
LIMS	B-Application
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
client/server	B-Operating_System
architecture	I-Operating_System
,	O
allowing	O
laboratories	O
to	O
implement	O
better	O
data	O
processing	O
and	O
exchanges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web-enabled	O
LIMS	B-Application
were	O
introduced	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
enabling	O
researchers	O
to	O
extend	O
operations	O
outside	O
the	O
laboratory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
1996	O
to	O
2002	O
additional	O
functionality	O
was	O
included	O
,	O
from	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
networking	I-General_Concept
and	O
georeferencing	B-General_Concept
of	O
samples	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
adoption	O
of	O
XML	B-Protocol
standards	O
and	O
Internet	O
purchasing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2012	O
,	O
some	O
LIMS	B-Application
have	O
added	O
additional	O
characteristics	O
such	O
as	O
clinical	O
functionality	O
,	O
electronic	B-Protocol
laboratory	I-Protocol
notebook	I-Protocol
(	O
ELN	O
)	O
functionality	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
a	O
rise	O
in	O
the	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
distribution	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LIMS	B-Application
is	O
an	O
evolving	O
concept	O
,	O
with	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
functionality	O
being	O
added	O
often	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
laboratory	O
demands	O
change	O
and	O
technological	O
progress	O
continues	O
,	O
the	O
functions	O
of	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
will	O
likely	O
also	O
change	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
these	O
changes	O
,	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
tends	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
base	O
set	O
of	O
functionality	O
that	O
defines	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
pieces	O
of	O
core	O
functionality	O
associated	O
with	O
these	O
laboratory	O
processing	O
phases	O
that	O
tend	O
to	O
appear	O
in	O
most	O
LIMS	B-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
core	O
function	O
of	O
LIMS	B-Application
has	O
traditionally	O
been	O
the	O
management	O
of	O
samples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
typically	O
is	O
initiated	O
when	O
a	O
sample	O
is	O
received	O
in	O
the	O
laboratory	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
the	O
sample	O
will	O
be	O
registered	O
in	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
LIMS	B-Application
will	O
allow	O
the	O
customer	O
to	O
place	O
an	O
"	O
order	O
"	O
for	O
a	O
sample	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
at	O
which	O
point	O
the	O
sample	O
is	O
generated	O
in	O
an	O
"	O
unreceived	O
"	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LIMS	B-Application
then	O
tracks	O
chain	O
of	O
custody	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
sample	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
LIMS	B-Application
have	O
implemented	O
extensive	O
configurability	O
as	O
each	O
laboratory	O
's	O
needs	O
for	O
tracking	O
additional	O
data	O
points	O
can	O
vary	O
widely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LIMS	B-Application
vendors	O
cannot	O
typically	O
make	O
assumptions	O
about	O
what	O
these	O
data	O
tracking	O
needs	O
are	O
,	O
and	O
therefore	O
vendors	O
must	O
create	O
LIMS	B-Application
that	O
are	O
adaptable	O
to	O
individual	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LIMS	B-Application
users	O
may	O
also	O
have	O
regulatory	O
concerns	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
such	O
as	O
CLIA	O
,	O
HIPAA	O
,	O
GLP	O
,	O
and	O
FDA	O
specifications	O
,	O
affecting	O
certain	O
aspects	O
of	O
sample	O
management	O
in	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
solution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
key	O
to	O
compliance	O
with	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
standards	O
is	O
audit	O
logging	O
of	O
all	O
changes	O
to	O
LIMS	B-Application
data	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
a	O
full	O
electronic	O
signature	O
system	O
is	O
required	O
for	O
rigorous	O
tracking	O
of	O
field-level	O
changes	O
to	O
LIMS	B-Application
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
LIMS	B-Application
offer	O
an	O
increasing	O
amount	O
of	O
integration	O
with	O
laboratory	O
instruments	O
and	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
LIMS	B-Application
may	O
create	O
control	O
files	O
that	O
are	O
"	O
fed	O
"	O
into	O
the	O
instrument	O
and	O
direct	O
its	O
operation	O
on	O
some	O
physical	O
item	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
sample	O
tube	O
or	O
sample	O
plate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LIMS	B-Application
may	O
then	O
import	O
instrument	O
results	O
files	O
to	O
extract	O
data	O
for	O
quality	O
control	O
assessment	O
of	O
the	O
operation	O
on	O
the	O
sample	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
LIMS	B-Application
products	O
now	O
also	O
allow	O
for	O
the	O
import	O
and	O
management	O
of	O
raw	O
assay	O
data	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
track	O
this	O
data	O
,	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
solution	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
adaptable	O
to	O
many	O
different	O
assay	O
formats	O
at	O
both	O
the	O
data	O
layer	O
and	O
import	O
creation	O
layer	O
,	O
while	O
maintaining	O
a	O
high	O
level	O
of	O
overall	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
LIMS	B-Application
products	O
address	O
this	O
by	O
simply	O
attaching	O
assay	O
data	O
as	O
BLOBs	B-General_Concept
to	O
samples	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
limits	O
the	O
utility	O
of	O
that	O
data	O
in	O
data	B-Application
mining	I-Application
and	O
downstream	O
analysis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
exponentially	O
growing	O
volume	O
of	O
data	O
created	O
in	O
laboratories	O
,	O
coupled	O
with	O
increased	O
business	O
demands	O
and	O
focus	O
on	O
profitability	O
,	O
have	O
pushed	O
LIMS	B-Application
vendors	O
to	O
increase	O
attention	O
to	O
how	O
their	O
LIMS	B-Application
handles	O
electronic	O
data	O
exchanges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Attention	O
must	O
be	O
paid	O
to	O
how	O
an	O
instrument	O
's	O
input	O
and	O
output	O
data	O
is	O
managed	O
,	O
how	O
remote	O
sample	O
collection	O
data	O
is	O
imported	O
and	O
exported	O
,	O
and	O
how	O
mobile	O
technology	O
integrates	O
with	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
successful	O
transfer	O
of	O
data	O
files	O
in	O
spreadsheets	O
and	O
other	O
formats	O
is	O
a	O
pivotal	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
modern	O
LIMS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
mobile	O
and	O
database	O
electronic	O
data	O
exchange	O
,	O
many	O
LIMS	B-Application
support	O
real-time	O
data	O
exchange	O
with	O
Electronic	B-Application
Health	I-Application
Records	I-Application
used	O
in	O
core	O
hospital	O
or	O
clinic	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
the	O
key	O
functions	O
of	O
sample	O
management	O
,	O
instrument	O
and	O
application	O
integration	O
,	O
and	O
electronic	O
data	O
exchange	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
numerous	O
additional	O
operations	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
managed	O
in	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
LIMS	B-Application
has	O
utilized	O
many	O
architectures	O
and	O
distribution	O
models	O
over	O
the	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
technology	O
has	O
changed	O
,	O
how	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
is	O
installed	O
,	O
managed	O
,	O
and	O
utilized	O
has	O
also	O
changed	O
with	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thick-client	O
LIMS	B-Application
is	O
a	O
more	O
traditional	O
client/server	B-Operating_System
architecture	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
residing	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
workstation	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
(	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
)	O
and	O
the	O
rest	O
on	O
the	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LIMS	B-Application
software	O
is	O
installed	O
on	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
computer	O
,	O
which	O
does	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
data	O
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
changes	O
,	O
upgrades	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
modifications	O
will	O
happen	O
on	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
architectures	O
implemented	O
into	O
a	O
LIMS	B-Application
,	O
having	O
the	O
advantage	O
of	O
providing	O
higher	O
processing	O
speeds	O
(	O
because	O
processing	O
is	O
done	O
on	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
and	O
not	O
the	O
server	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
disadvantages	O
of	O
client-side	B-Operating_System
LIMS	B-Application
include	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
more	O
robust	O
client	B-Protocol
computers	I-Protocol
and	O
more	O
time-consuming	O
upgrades	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
base	O
functionality	O
through	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
thick-client	O
LIMS	B-Application
can	O
become	O
web-enabled	O
through	O
an	O
add-on	O
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
claim	O
of	O
improved	O
security	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
thick-client	O
LIMS	B-Application
,	O
this	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
misconception	O
that	O
"	O
only	O
users	O
with	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
application	O
installed	O
on	O
their	O
PC	O
can	O
access	O
server	O
side	O
information	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
secrecy-of-design	O
reliance	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
security	O
through	O
obscurity	O
and	O
ignores	O
an	O
adversary	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
mimic	O
client-server	B-Operating_System
interaction	O
through	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
reverse	O
engineering	O
,	O
network	B-Protocol
traffic	I-Protocol
interception	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
simply	O
purchasing	O
a	O
thick-client	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thin-client	B-Device
LIMS	B-Application
is	O
a	O
more	O
modern	O
architecture	O
which	O
offers	O
full	O
application	O
functionality	O
accessed	O
through	O
a	O
device	O
's	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
actual	O
LIMS	B-Application
software	O
resides	O
on	O
a	O
server	O
(	O
host	O
)	O
which	O
feeds	O
and	O
processes	O
information	O
without	O
saving	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
hard	O
disk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Any	O
necessary	O
changes	O
,	O
upgrades	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
modifications	O
are	O
handled	O
by	O
the	O
entity	O
hosting	O
the	O
server-side	O
LIMS	B-Application
software	O
,	O
meaning	O
all	O
end-users	O
see	O
all	O
changes	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
this	O
end	O
,	O
a	O
true	O
thin-client	B-Device
LIMS	B-Application
will	O
leave	O
no	O
"	O
footprint	O
"	O
on	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
's	O
computer	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
the	O
integrity	O
of	O
the	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
need	O
be	O
maintained	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advantages	O
of	O
this	O
system	O
include	O
significantly	O
lower	O
cost	O
of	O
ownership	O
and	O
fewer	O
network	O
and	O
client-side	B-Operating_System
maintenance	O
expenses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sort	O
of	O
hybrid	O
architecture	O
that	O
incorporates	O
the	O
features	O
of	O
thin-client	B-Device
browser	B-Application
usage	O
with	O
a	O
thick	O
client	O
installation	O
exists	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
web-based	O
LIMS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
LIMS	B-Application
vendors	O
are	O
beginning	O
to	O
rent	O
hosted	O
,	O
thin-client	B-Device
solutions	O
as	O
"	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
"	O
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
architecture	O
is	O
the	O
maintenance	O
,	O
warranty	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
(	O
MSW	O
)	O
agreement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
some	O
may	O
choose	O
to	O
opt	O
out	O
of	O
an	O
MSW	O
after	O
the	O
first	O
year	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
often	O
more	O
economical	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
plan	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
receive	O
updates	O
to	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
,	O
giving	O
it	O
a	O
longer	O
life	O
span	O
in	O
the	O
laboratory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
web-enabled	O
LIMS	B-Application
architecture	O
is	O
essentially	O
a	O
thick-client	O
architecture	O
with	O
an	O
added	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
setup	O
,	O
the	O
client-side	O
software	O
has	O
additional	O
functionality	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
interface	O
with	O
the	O
software	O
through	O
their	O
device	O
's	O
browser	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
functionality	O
is	O
typically	O
limited	O
only	O
to	O
certain	O
functions	O
of	O
the	O
web	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
advantage	O
of	O
a	O
web-enabled	O
LIMS	B-Application
is	O
the	O
end-user	O
can	O
access	O
data	O
both	O
on	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
side	O
and	O
the	O
server	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
a	O
thick-client	O
architecture	O
,	O
updates	O
in	O
the	O
software	O
must	O
be	O
propagated	O
to	O
every	O
client	B-Protocol
machine	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
web-based	O
LIMS	B-Application
architecture	O
is	O
a	O
hybrid	O
of	O
the	O
thick	O
-	O
and	O
thin-client	B-Device
architectures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
client-side	O
work	O
is	O
done	O
through	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
may	O
also	O
require	O
the	O
support	O
of	O
desktop	O
software	O
installed	O
on	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
end	O
result	O
is	O
a	O
process	O
that	O
is	O
apparent	O
to	O
the	O
end-user	O
through	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
but	O
perhaps	O
not	O
so	O
apparent	O
as	O
it	O
runs	O
thick-client-like	O
processing	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LIMS	B-Application
implementations	O
are	O
notorious	O
for	O
often	O
being	O
lengthy	O
and	O
costly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
partly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
diversity	O
of	O
requirements	O
within	O
each	O
lab	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
to	O
the	O
inflexible	O
nature	O
of	O
most	O
LIMS	B-Application
products	O
for	O
adapting	O
to	O
these	O
widely	O
varying	O
requirements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newer	O
LIMS	B-Application
solutions	O
are	O
beginning	O
to	O
emerge	O
that	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
modern	O
techniques	O
in	O
software	O
design	O
that	O
are	O
inherently	O
more	O
configurable	O
and	O
adaptable	O
—	O
particularly	O
at	O
the	O
data	O
layer	O
—	O
than	O
prior	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
recently	O
,	O
the	O
LIMS	B-Application
and	O
Laboratory	B-Application
Information	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
LIS	O
)	O
have	O
exhibited	O
a	O
few	O
key	O
differences	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
noticeably	O
separate	O
entities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
LIMS	B-Application
traditionally	O
has	O
been	O
designed	O
to	O
process	O
and	O
report	O
data	O
related	O
to	O
batches	O
of	O
samples	O
from	O
biology	O
labs	O
,	O
water	O
treatment	O
facilities	O
,	O
drug	O
trials	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
entities	O
that	O
handle	O
complex	O
batches	O
of	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
LIMS	B-Application
may	O
need	O
to	O
satisfy	O
good	O
manufacturing	O
practice	O
(	O
GMP	O
)	O
and	O
meet	O
the	O
reporting	O
and	O
audit	O
needs	O
of	O
the	O
regulatory	O
bodies	O
and	O
research	O
scientists	O
in	O
many	O
different	O
industries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
LIMS	B-Application
is	O
most	O
competitive	O
in	O
group-centric	O
settings	O
(	O
dealing	O
with	O
"	O
batches	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
samples	O
"	O
)	O
that	O
often	O
deal	O
with	O
mostly	O
anonymous	O
research-specific	O
laboratory	O
data	O
,	O
whereas	O
a	O
LIS	O
is	O
usually	O
most	O
competitive	O
in	O
patient-centric	O
settings	O
(	O
dealing	O
with	O
"	O
subjects	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
specimens	O
"	O
)	O
and	O
clinical	O
labs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
this	O
,	O
a	O
LIS	O
can	O
not	O
be	O
customized	O
by	O
the	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
LIMS	B-Application
covers	O
standards	O
such	O
as	O
21	O
CFR	O
Part	O
11	O
from	O
the	O
Food	O
and	O
Drug	O
Administration	O
(	O
United	O
States	O
)	O
,	O
ISO/IEC	O
17025	O
,	O
</s>
