Research.  Efficiency.  How do you improve one without sacrificing the other?

How do you:
   Effectively manage thousands of animals each day?
   Improve operational efficiency?
   Increase data integrity?
   Find the answers you need quickly?
   Receive a solution tailored to your facility?

Ensure proper animal welfare while performing valuable research with the intuitive, easy to use Cidercone SmartLab™ solution by Edstrom. Your facility will run more efficiently, with real-time information readily available for decision making at all levels of your organization.

SmartLab Applications Include: Protocol Management    Colony Management Animal Logistics              Per Diem and Services Reporting Animal Catalog                Workflow Planning Animal Records               Reporting Task Management Enable your staff to focus on the laboratory’s core mission: Delivering animal care and scientific research... efficiently. Each and every day SmartLab will improve how you manage thousands of animals. You will see operational efficiencies in many areas, improved animal care, increased communication, higher data integrity, time savings, and reduced costs.

Improve Data Integrity, Communication, and Productivity SmartLab provides your facility with unsurpassed data integrity by eliminating manual record keeping, delivering time stamped data, and securely storing facility information. The web-based platform enhances communication throughout all levels of the research and animal care team, thus allowing for confidence in process follow through and task completion. The robust, intuitive search feature within SmartLab, presents real-time data quickly and efficiently, enabling staff to ensure superior animal care. By improving data integrity, communication, and productivity, SmartLab provides tangible benefits such as higher staff retention, increased researcher satisfaction, and process standardization throughout your facility.

Animal Data 
How do you track tasks and ensure animal welfare?

Colony Management 
How do you maintain accurate record keeping and monitor genetic consistency?

Per Diem and Services Reporting 
How do you manage your costs and bill accurately?

The Core SmartLab Modules

   Protocol Management
The Protocol Management module focuses on increasing efficiencies related to the initial application process, tracking the status of protocols, and viewing animal usage. Using SmartLab, the study director defines protocol requirements including the protocol name, pain/distress level, validity period, and the number of animals required. Application documentation is easily attached to the protocol number during the application process. Only after the protocol is approved, can animals be ordered.

  Animal Logistics
The Animal Logistics module will reduce animal usage by eliminating unnecessary orders. Researchers are required to request animals from a pre-approved list of species. Once the request is approved the animal order is created. As animals are received, their information is recorded into SmartLab, and cage cards are printed. This module’s ability to easily account for deviations in shipped versus ordered animals will streamline receiving and increase housing accuracy. All individual animal transfers from receiving through the end of the study are captured in real-time.

The Animal Logistics feature also includes the caging wizard which prints cage cards and provides an accurate method of assigning animals. Using either Barcode or RFID scanners linked through SmartLab, the animal care staff can ensure error-free animal logistics and housing information.

  Animal Catalog
The Animal Catalog is where the species and strains are defined. SmartLab contains an approval process allowing the researcher to propose a new strain. The manager reviews and approves the request prior to the strain being available for studies. Genetic modifications are captured by defining the Gene/Locus within the strain. For easy reference, detailed information can be attached to the strain.

  Animal Task Management
This feature allows you to record tasks for animals and see the recorded task information in real-time. Additionally, all tasks are recorded to the individual animal’s diary. Predefined task templates are provided for consistency and standardization throughout your facility and managers have the ability to create new task templates. As an example, the dosing template includes date and time, performer, substance, method of administration, and dose.

  Animal Records
Staff can easily search for a specific animal and create user defined animal groups. Individual animal information and health records includes: animal ID, gender, species, strain, genetic modifications, origin, age, availability status, ancestry, protocol, location, and history of all services. The availability and animal status are easily maintained by an appropriate animal care staff member.

  Notifications
Whenever there are critical triggers, SmartLab sends notifications to the user’s main page. For example, notifications are sent to the animal owner and veterinarian when the animal’s health status has changed. In the same manner, a notification is sent to the researcher and manager when a protocol is to expire and/or preset animal limits are reached.

Additional SmartLab Modules

  Colony Management

  Workflow Planning

Example of a work order:
•  Injecting vaccine 2IU of Omega1 by an animal technician on the 5th of Feb 2009 at 11:00 AM
•  Injecting virus Alpha31 by veterinarian on the 9th of Feb 2009
•  Blood sample (terminal bleeding) by an animal technician the 11th of Feb 2009

  Per Diem and Services Reporting
This reporting module gathers the costs of both housing and any additional services provided. A service cost matrix is entered and maintained within SmartLab by the administrative group. Service rates are based on the skill level required, the role performing the service, and the hygienic conditions. The costs are captured on a daily basis by protocol and animal. Billing becomes streamlined with a preview function allowing the researcher to validate costs per study and/or grant. Additionally, the Per Diem and Services Reporting application can integrate with a facility’s current billing system and/or generate a PDF document for invoicing.

  Reporting
The reporting module offers standard reports including the Breeding Pair Report, Strain Litter Size Report, and Cage Ownership Report. Each standard report can be user defined allowing for maximum flexibility. Both the Breeding Pair and Strain Litter Size Report are linked to the Colony Management module providing productivity information.

• The Breeding Pair Report provides information about breeding pairs such as calculating the average of the different genders born and pups weaned. It also calculates the mortality rate per each breeding pair.
• The Strain Litter Size Report presents breeding productivity information at the strain level. The report presents the averages of breeding efficiency indicators and it calculates the breeding efficiency rate.
• The Cage Ownership Report displays how many cages are allocated to certain users and rooms.

The reporting database in SmartLab can be accessed using a customer’s existing 3rd party reporting tool. This enables customers to extract data and create their own reports. 

  Mobility
The PDA is a point of care device that gives the user the ability to report animal deliveries, check open animal requests, animal transfers, complete ad-hoc tasks, transfer cages and view animal records. If your facility has a wireless LAN network, a PDA or tablet PC can access the SmartLab System.

  Additional Services: Process Modeling & Software Tailoring
Process Modeling: Edstrom offers a process modeling service to assist in uncovering specific areas for improvement to your animal management processes.

Software Tailoring: Edstrom can provide a tailored solution beyond the standardized SmartLab modules after a thorough analysis of your operations.

Point of care has never been easier: •  Scan the cage card •  View individual animal records Each and every day SmartLab will improve how you manage thousands of animals. You will see operational efficiencies in many areas, improved animal care, increased communication, higher data integrity, time savings, and reduced costs.

SmartLab – Delivering animal care and scientific research efficiently.