Case Study · Pro-curo Software Ltd

Sample tracking for a small research group handling human samples

Ludwig Research Institute · Research institute

The challenge

A small research group collecting human samples under an HTA licence needed a traceable system with a full audit trail. Their storage was a mix of -80 freezers and liquid nitrogen vessels, and their consent documentation lived separately from the sample records it related to.

What was put in place

• Pre-defined location structures were used to profile the -80 freezers and liquid nitrogen vessels to exact specifications: shelves, racks, trays and boxes.
• The history function provides complete traceability of every sample from the moment it enters the system.
• Flexible data input means consent PDFs attach directly to individual sample records, so the consent travels with the sample rather than sitting in a separate file.

The outcome

The group can evidence the full history of any sample under its HTA licence, with the consent record attached to the sample itself rather than cross-referenced from elsewhere.

Who this is relevant to

Small research groups holding human material under an HTA licence, where the compliance burden is the same as a large biobank but the team is a handful of people.

Other case studies

• Chain of custody for a multi-room tissue and cell biobank, nhs hospital biobank
• Tracking a sample inventory across multiple sites, research laboratory, multi-site
• Tracking samples to the bench and to the person who took them, university research group

Related reading

• Biological sample tracking software, how Pro-curo handles sample tracking end to end
• The Importance of Sample Tracking in Life Science Laboratories
• HTA Traceability Standards and the Traceability Audit