case study

Bayer rips up its spreadsheets after Information Systems review

IS strategy makes progress with consultancy from Scimcon

Bayer Pharmaceutical’s biotechnology division in Berkeley California analyses thousands of protein samples each year in its quest to develop medication to battle life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and pulmonary diseases.  The biotechnology site helps the development of new drugs through this protein research and analysis. If the lab is to do this as efficiently as possible, it’s crucial that the research data is recorded accurately and managed effectively.

To harness the wealth of information now available for drug discovery, Bayer Biotech has embarked upon a five-year plan to redesign its information management to support the research and development processes more effectively.   

Scientific information management consultancy Scimcon has been crucial to Bayer Biotech’s development of an integrated information management strategy.  The companies began a partnership in April 2001, since when Scimcon has provided a strategic review of information management and worked with Bayer Biotech to develop a new system to track its drug development process. 

Prior to this strategic review, Bayer Biotech’s data and derivative works supporting the drug discovery process had been stored in a mixture of electronic systems, paper based records, and on Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications.  There was no central system through which it could store all of the information required to manage the complex and integrated R&D process.   

This meant that data required by project teams was separated into disparate islandsmaking it difficult to make efficient decisions.  Bayer Biotech also had a LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) product which it felt was not supporting the business effectively.  

Recognising that it needed external expertise to overcome these hurdles, Bayer asked Scimcon to review its information management requirements.

Ken Kupfer, Head of Biotechnology Scientific Informatics at Bayer Corporation, explains the reasons for selecting Scimcon as a consultancy partner:

“Scimcon has a solid track record of practical experience in lab IS management, as well as the pre-requisite understanding of the regulatory and business requirements upon us.  We’d heard good things about Scimcon, and the first job they undertook on our behalf proved further that we could trust them to deliver.”  

Scimcon started by undertaking a thorough review of Bayer Biotech’s information management processes in April 2001.  It put forward a set of strategic recommendations, which included the complete reorganisation of Bayer’s Biotech’s information strategy and processes.  

Ken Kupfer, again:

“Scimcon’s experience in lab information management means that it understands user requirements and knows how best to approach IS strategy and system management. Scimcon provided us with a realistic view of what it would take to implement a complex information management system and has mapped out our business needs and ensured that our IS strategy matches those requirements.”

A central plank of the strategic recommendations made by Scimcon was the need to develop a new candidate tracking system.  This is a system to track status and process information on novel drug candidates throughout the stages of their research and development. 

Scimcon advised that, rather than invest in entirely new software, it could develop the existing LIMS product that Bayer Biotech had already purchased..  To date, this system had not been meeting the lab’s IS needs. So in June 2001 Scimcon began to reconfigure the existing software into a new system that could manage the candidate tracking system more efficiently and accurately.  The systems development work was completed on time and to budget in December 2001 and now serves 270 people comprising 30 individual lab units.

The IS strategy review and new tracking system have enabled Bayer to streamline and simplify its data management processes, making these far easier for users to handle and understand. 

Ken Kupfer explains the benefit:

“Two years ago, our concept of information management was bioinformatics. But now, thanks to Scimcon, we see the value of an integrated approach to information management that supports our entire R&D process. There has been an immediate business improvementin that vital information supporting the drug discovery process is now stored in one central, automated system, which has replaced the mismash of Word and Excel documents which we’ve since been able to rip up and discard.”

However, the work undertaken by Scimcon to date is just one facet of the much wider-ranging five-year programme to improveBayer Biotech’s information management infrastructure.  Bayer Biotech still has more work to do before optimum efficiency is attained throughout the biotechnology division.  It intends to continue working with Scimcon to achieve this.

Ken Kupfer concludes:

“Scimcon’s work has been integral to improving our IS processes and without it the progress that we have made thus far would not have been possible.   We do still have a long way to go yet, and we expect Scimcon to remain a solid partner that we continue to depend on.”

Scimcon Limited, Registered in Cardiff No 4844956, Registered Office: 57 London Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 1BS