Keeping tabs on radioisotopes - and more

Users of STacy, the sample management and radioisotope inventory system from LabLogic Systems, are still finding new applications for the software.

In radiosynthesis laboratories it is tracking radioactivity against licensed safety limits for the usage and disposal of the large amounts of radioactivity that have to be handled.

For ADME drug metabolism studies it is often interfaced with LabLogic's Debra LIMS to track samples and radioactivity from the initial test compound through dosing and sample collection to long-term freezer storage and final disposal.

And others are taking advantage of its flexibility to manage a variety of records, from the location and type of radioactive sealed sources to user training schedules, re-ordering bulk chemicals, and maintaining instrument service histories.

Fully compliant with GLP and 21 CFR Part 11, STacy is totally configurable, allowing the user to define location trees, sample and transaction types. Security is similarly flexible, so that access can be assigned on a user-by-user basis to the permitted access level;

Locations can be as vague as a building or as specific as a position within a box, and the number and type that can be created are limitless, allowing the system manager to map out the whole company structure. The software uses a common Microsoft Outlook user interface style to facilitate a quick and easy learning curve for new users.

Once created, samples or collections of samples can be selected and moved around the location tree by a simple ‘drag and drop’ mechanism. They can be defined with complete control over the entry fields and type of identifying data required, and details can be entered via spreadsheet, file import or bar-code reader. The bar-coding facility can create, print and read labels in many industry-standard formats.