Case Study: Bookitlab for MBcure

MBcure is a biopharmaceutical company, aiming to develop bacteriophage-based therapies for the treatment and prevention of diseasesstemming from dysbiosis of the microbiome.

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The catch of most ELN and LIMS systems is usually flexibility and customization, so they can be easily adapted to the changing challenges andsolutions that are specific to each biotech company on the one hand, and the need to follow strict regulations and standards on the other hand.Ideally, that creates a product suitable for most companies without major customization, and provides easy and intuitive user interface.

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That is why we decided to get feedback not just from managers and administrators, but also from the users themselves, to understand how theybenefit from BookitLab ELN.

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We met Dr. Eyal Weinstock, from MBcure and asked him several questions.

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Q: “Eyal, as a lab scientist, what was the biggest change that happened to you with the move from a paper lab notebook to anelectronic lab notebook?

A: “In my opinion, the biggest advantage of working with ELN is the searching feature it provides, which allows me to find anything easily insteadof going over paperwork. For example, if I look for “plasmid” that I worked with a year ago, I can easily get the full context within a few clicks -what cell line and what reagents I used, etc. This way, it allows me easily repeat the successful experiments, and to improve the less successfulones. This ability to zoom in and out within the electronic lab notebook is also very important for sharing knowledge and information amongscientists.”

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Q: Can you provide us an example of the importance of sharing such knowledge?

A: “In start-up companies, there is a quite common situation when the CEO is away at conferences. In this case, the sharing of knowledgeprovides the ability to shorten the process, while sharing results and getting feedback in a fast and effective way. In the case of a regular labnotebook, all this requires sending separate emails that might not be able to present the full complexity of the experiment, and disallowing thesender from getting into small details.”

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Q: For you, what was the most annoying part of working with the regular lab notebook?

A: ”Today, the majority of lab results are in a digital format. So, for example, the process of printing the gel, and then cutting and pasting it to alab notebook, which is only suitable for a non-computerized and non-tablet world.”

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Q: What feature in the Electronic Lab Notebook is used most often by you and your team?

A: “The ability to choose protocols out of the database and the ability to copy and paste certain experiment stages – those allow me to be moreeffective, and to focus on documenting only the relevant information regarding the current experiment. That provides a huge time saving on theone hand, and allows me to avoid mistakes that could be made during the copying process”.

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Q: Would you recommend BookitLab ELN?

A: “The intuitiveness of the electronic lab software and the ability to learn using it without any additional effort – those factors are very importantfor us, and we found all of them in BookitLab ELN. When we grow, and new team members join us, the importance of those factors will increaseeven more. In addition, every time we provide BookitLab team with our feedback, we get a fast and full response, knowing that all our feedbackis considered and will be included in future improved versions. The BookitLab ELN system is constantly improving and growing all the time, andthat is why I can happily recommend it.”