Can Today's ELNs Support Tomorrow's Labs?

By Stuart Ward, Head of Platform Strategy, IDBS

The global electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) market is growing rapidly, driven by increased competition in the pharma sector and advancements in web and cloud-based ELN offerings. While ELNs offer benefits such as faster drug delivery, improved data security, and enhanced collaboration, there are concerns about digitizing data, time constraints, disruption to routines, and data security issues. Hybrid solutions that combine ELN and laboratory information management system functionalities are emerging as alternatives. For instance, IDBS is developing the Polar platform to provide efficient digital workflows. The company's cloud-native platform integrates artificial intelligence/machine learning and visual analytics to enhance data analysis and decision-making. The industry is moving towards more sophisticated tools with integrated features, offering better data integrity than traditional paper notebooks and Excel spreadsheets.