Connected digital technologies and advanced analytics are revolutionizing chromatography and mass spectrometry (CMS) workflows, enabling more efficient and productive ways of working. A cornerstone of digital transformation, these solutions are accelerating the transition to Pharma 4.0 – a future vision of the pharmaceutical industry characterized by smart production workflows, flexible value chains and real-time process optimization. Here, we look at how ongoing advances in laboratory informatics solutions will help organizations ease the path to this future landscape.
Advances in laboratory informatics solutions are easing the path to Pharma 4.0.
Realizing the potential of advanced analytics for CMS workflows
Among the next-generation technologies having the most transformative impact on CMS workflows are advanced analytics tools, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. These solutions are already being applied across the pharmaceutical industry to identify trends and anticipate issues before they become significant problems. Within pharmaceutical manufacturing, for example, advanced analytics help organizations optimize inventory use in response to changing workflow needs, and reduce unplanned downtime by triggering timely instrument maintenance when trends identify early signs of declining performance. These tools are also delivering impressive results in fundamental research and method development applications, helping teams make connections in large datasets to optimize outcomes and find solutions faster.
Advanced analytics tools provide the most valuable predictive insight when integrated with large quantities of high-quality data. However, the current reality for many pharmaceutical companies is that laboratory data is stored and managed using multiple disparate systems. Traditional software solutions for handling CMS data provide low levels of interoperability and do not facilitate easy retrieval of data collected using different vendor technologies. As a result, laboratory data becomes ‘trapped’ within distinct software silos, requiring manual transcription and manipulation in order to be transferred between systems. Not only is this inherently inefficient, it can also compromise data integrity.
Seamless connectivity within an integrated digital ecosystem
To reap the benefits of digital transformation for CMS workflows, seamless connectivity of people, technologies and data is essential. Laboratory informatics solutions play a key role in the successful implementation of next-generation technologies, such as advanced analytics by maintaining the integrity of the data they draw on. By eliminating data silos, automating processes and avoiding the need for manual transcription, the most effective solutions ensure decisions are based on the most comprehensive, accurate and timely information. To be truly valuable, these solutions must work within organizations’ own established digital ecosystems, providing full interoperability, regardless of vendor technology.
Laboratory informatics solutions that target this need are being developed, enabling the analysis of data collected from any instrument regardless of vendor, using the same user interface. The emergence of open data standards has been central to these efforts, enabling greater accessibility to workflow data within a heterogeneous laboratory ecosystem. As such, future laboratory informatics solutions are poised to provide even easier access to data from across CMS workflows, supporting faster and more informed decision-making.
Scalable, flexible informatics solutions for greater agility
Many pharmaceutical CMS workflows currently draw on a broad range of technologies from multiple vendors, and as more organizations advance on their journey to Pharma 4.0, the laboratory digital ecosystem will become increasingly sophisticated. The growing affordability of previously cost-prohibitive tools, such as advanced analytics, are already disrupting the market, lowering the cost of research and manufacturing, and opening new service models for customers. Pharmaceutical companies must, therefore, ensure their laboratory informatics solutions not only meet the needs of today, but those of tomorrow too. Informatics solutions that offer the versatility and scalability to extend capabilities as business needs change will give pharmaceutical manufacturers the best competitive advantage.
Cloud-optimized solutions, unrestricted by physical IT infrastructure, provide the operational agility that pharmaceutical organizations need in this new landscape. As well as providing unrivalled connectivity – enabling secure data access from both inside and outside the organization – cloud-optimized solutions facilitate fast and cost-efficient extension of capabilities as needs change. Some cloud-based informatics solutions also support the use of targeted app-style modules that can be downloaded as required, providing additional flexibility and resource efficiency.
Easing the transition to Pharma 4.0
The increasing affordability of advanced analytics and other exponential digital technologies are transforming pharmaceutical research and manufacturing, with CMS workflows being no exception. Laboratory informatics solutions based on a scalable, cloud-optimized architecture, that provide a single, vendor-agnostic ecosystem for CMS workflows, allow organizations to harness the immediate benefits of these technologies for faster decision-making and greater efficiency, while supporting future growth.
Look out for our next blog on how vendors are taking the lead on data and process standardization.
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