Ensuring data integrity: Laura and Hidex integration at Charles River Laboratories
29/04/2025
At a glance
> In the second part of our case study from Charles Rivers Laboratories, Principal CSV Specialist Rory Grundison outlines how LabLogic’s software integrates with Hidex hardware.
> When upgrading to the latest version of Debra, the CRO chose Hidex 600 SL liquid scintillation counters and Hidex 600 OX oxidisers to replace aging instruments.
> With data from the Hidex instruments captured directly by Laura and securely transferred to Debra, absolute data integrity is guaranteed.
Preserving data integrity with Laura and Hidex integration
Following a recent update to Debra 6, Charles River chose Hidex instruments controlled by Laura for data analysis and collection to replace aging instruments. The Edinburgh facility runs hundreds of thousands of LSC vials every year, so choosing the right instrumentation was critical.
Rory said, “Before upgrading to Hidex, we’d been using old Packard LSCs, which were decades old. That meant the data integrity was non-existent, and that was starting to become a problem for us. The operating system was MS DOS meaning there was no username or password. The computer was either on or off, and that was it. There was no user control, and anybody could access it with an accidental keystroke.
“There was no audit trail capability, so any instrument setting that was inadvertently changed was untraceable. There was a chance that if a calibration curve was altered by mistake, it could go for months gathering incorrect data before anybody realised.
“All of these problems led to us having to have significant mitigation procedures and workarounds in place to control their use, lengthening the time taken for task completion by the users, in order to remain compliant.”
The LabLogic team onsite at Charles Rivers’ Edinburgh facility with Principal CSV Specialist Rory Grundison (far right).
Standardising work to eliminate data variables
“Hidex provides a far better solution because their instruments can integrate seamlessly with Laura. It means that data captured by Laura is securely transferred to Debra, and no one can ever physically delete or edit it, preserving that data integrity. When it came to deciding as to what models of LSCs we needed to use to replace our existing ones, Hidex controlled by Laura was a relatively straight forward decision from a data integrity point of view.
“Having a software that is compatible with instrumentation is proving to be a much more effective way of working. It’s allowed work to be standardised and eliminates variables that could influence data. Laura’s user access is thoughtful and has different levels that allows you to assign different people different security settings. Compared to what we were doing before, it’s night and day.”
“… this whole project has been a very positive experience for me.”
“Whether it’s the sales team, or the service team, or the development team, I’ve always enjoyed an excellent relationship with LabLogic. Everyone there is very approachable and open-minded. When I visited the LabLogic office for training last year, it was clear there was a nice work culture about the place, and that is mirrored in the relationships with their customers.
“Being able to feedback during implementation has been a big thumbs up for me. LabLogic has listened to what I’ve had to say, and not just acknowledged it but actioned it to improve what is being done. The collaboration between us has been two-ways, which is excellent. Both parties have been very open-minded to each other’s suggestions and learned to find the best solutions. Whatever challenges validating new systems can present, this whole project has been a very positive experience for me.”
Find out more
You can learn more about Debra and Laura's integration with Hidex by clicking the button below to speak to a product specialist directly to request a guided demonstration.