Persistent sets up lab info software for NIV

PUNE, INDIA: National Institute of Virology (NIV), located in Pune, is ready to use a Laboratory Information Management Software (LIMS) that has been developed by Persistent Systems.

Called VirusLIMS, this is claimed as a secure Web-based information management system, which is designed to efficiently manage field and laboratory information for clinical and laboratory testing across the institute and related centres.

The VirusLIMS software will enable NIV to effectively manage increasing sample inflow as well as ensure documentation of all phases of laboratory testing and reporting activities, aiding compliance with standards defined by agencies such as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The software further provides the infrastructure for timely sharing of laboratory information with health agencies, which is crucial for rapid and effective response to outbreaks of infectious diseases such as chikungunya, swine and avian influenza et al, a press note explained.

The software application was launched by Dr. V.M. Katoch, Secretary to Govt. of India (Department of Health Research) & Director General, Indian Council of Medial Research (ICMR) at NIV.

According to Dr. A. C. Mishra, Director, NIV, “National labs like NIV deal with a large number of specimen inflow that dramatically increases in an outbreak situation and during surveillance studies. This makes it critical for us to have a robust information management system in place.”

He said the VirusLIMS software, developed by Persistent Systems, provides NIV with the required infrastructure and enables it to capitalize on advances in information technology for managing clinical and laboratory testing across various centres.

Persistent was also recently named one of the leaders in life sciences manufacturing and laboratory information management Systems (LIMS) by Health Industry Insights, an IDC company.

NIV is a virus research institute identified as a WHO Collaborating Center for arboviruses and hemorrhagic fever references and research. This is also the national monitoring center for influenza, Japanese encephalitis, rota, measles and hepatitis and is involved in high quality applied and basic research in the area of epidemiology, molecular characterizations, vaccinology and prevention and control strategies of viruses of public health importance.

Various disease-specific groups at NIV are constantly working on tracking newer viruses and the spread of viruses involving extensive field and laboratory activities.

“With the increasing number of threats and advent of potential pandemics, there is critical need for an efficient information management system for all public health laboratories. By providing this solution, Persistent is enabling NIV to effectively respond to public health threats through VirusLIMS solution.” said Dr. Anand Deshpande, chairman and managing director of Persistent Systems.

“Persistent Life Sciences practice has a strong track-record of success in data management, warehousing and analytics. Its solutions focus specifically on four key areas: bio-informatics, clinical informatics, medical devices / instrumentation and lab automation,” he added.