Laboratory information systems or LIS systems also known as LIMS or laboratory information management systems have come a long way. Up until the late 1970s, the management of laboratory samples and the associated analysis and reporting were time-consuming manual processes often riddled with transcription errors. This gave some organizations impetus to streamline the collection of data and how it was reported. A few individual laboratories developed custom in-house solutions.
First Generation
In 1982, the first generation of LIS systems was introduced in the form of a single centralized minicomputer, which offered laboratories the first opportunity to utilize automated reporting tools. As the interest in these early LIMS grew, industry leaders like Gerst Gibbon of the Federal Energy Technology Center in Pittsburgh began planting the seeds through LIMS-related conferences.
Second Generation
By 1988 the second-generation commercial offerings were tapping into relational databases to expand LIMS into the more application-specific territory, and International LIMS Conferences were in full swing. As personal computers became more powerful and prominent, the third generation of LIMS emerged in the early 1990s. These new LIMS took advantage of client/server architecture, allowing laboratories to implement better data processing and exchanges.
Tool Development
By 1995, the client/server tools had developed to the point of allowing processing of data anywhere on the network. Web-enabled LIMS was introduced the following year, enabling researchers to extend operations outside the confines of the laboratory. From 1996 to 2002 additional functionality was included in LIMS, from wireless networking capabilities and geo-referencing of samples to the adoption of XML standards and the development of Internet purchasing.
Present Day
In recent years, some of the LIMS have added additional characteristics that continue to shape how an LIMS is defined. Additions include clinical functionality, electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) functionality, as well a rise in the software as a distribution service mode.
Constant Change
The LIMS is a developing concept, with new features and functionality being often added. As laboratory demands change and technological progress continues, the functions of an LIMS will likely also change. Despite these changes, an LIMS tends to have a base set of functionality that defines it. That functionality can roughly be divided into five laboratory processing phases, with numerous software functions falling under each.
