Product, Facility, & Safety Identification Solutions

The Adult Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) is the world's largest HIV research network, with over 140 labs worldwide working on research for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), specifically for the Division of AIDS (DAIDS). 

Frontier Science is a non-profit company that provides Laboratory Data Management Software (LDMS) to labs doing government-funded HIV research. To make collaboration between worldwide labs easier, and to ensure accurate and efficient labeling of all laboratory samples, Frontier Science and its collaborators have been working with Brady for three years to develop lab labeling procedures, with the goal of barcoding all lab specimens. They now use a system of Brady labels, printers, and barcode readers that work seamlessly with the LDMS program.

LDMS is a specimen management system with features for sample labeling, logging in samples, freezer management, shipping, and report generation. The ACTG labs track millions of samples, and Frontier Science was looking for ways to build on the LDMS system to make the labeling process more streamlined and consistent. According to Marlene Cooper, Chief of the Laboratory Division at Frontier Science, "When we started reviewing the process with the labs three years ago, we found the whole gambit of labeling including labs struggling with the problems of relabeling frozen tubes."

The Brady team worked with Frontier Science to help them take the most advantage of the features already built into the LDMS program, and to develop parameters for LDMS barcodes.

According to Cooper, "Our initial thought was to include as much information as possible in the barcode. Brady was really helpful and patient with 'Barcode 101.' They helped us streamline what was needed on the barcode to make data retrieval easy without putting too much information in the barcode. Now each sample has a unique 'license plate number' that defines the aliquot for the sample and links directly to the information stored via the LDMS software."

To ensure that the labels and the barcodes would meet ACTG's needs, The Brady Technical Support Department did a variety of burn tests and scan tests on sample labels to help determine what would work best in the lab environment and with the LDMS. Julie Schoenborn, Senior Strategic Account Manager for Brady's Lab Products Group, explained the challenges involved in merging Brady's expertise with the labs' needs: "We know a lot about barcodes, but we didn't know a lot about the processes of the ACTG labs, so in some ways we had to start from scratch to help Frontier develop protocols that would work for everyone involved."

The Brady lab labeling system of printers and lab-specific labels allow the labs to use standard ACTG formats to print barcoded aliquot labels, building label consistency across labs and streamlining the work of lab techs. By using a 2D data matrix barcode font, the resulting labels offer information redundancy - even if the label is damaged, vital information can be scanned and retrieved.

One major development from the collaboration between Brady, Frontier Science, and laboratory technicians in the field was an entirely new label design. Many of the labs had been using Brady's original B-461 self-laminating labels for their 1.8 mil. cryovials. These labels had too long a "tail" (the self-laminating overwrap), requiring the label to be wrapped around the tube multiple times, causing problems with the tubes fitting into freezer storage containers. To accommodate the labs? needs, Brady developed a new label featuring a 1 x 1" white area and a shorter tail. This new product worked so well for the ACTG labs that it is currently a stock Brady label item.

In addition to this new B-461 self-lam label product, many of the ACTG labs now use Brady's B-492 FreezerBondz^TM Thermal Transfer Printer Labels, which allow them to label already frozen samples - a vital need for a network of labs that have over 2.2 million frozen samples in repository.

"FreezerBondz has been invaluable to the labs," Cooper said.

Once the protocols were in place and the labels were selected, Brady helped Frontier Science select the right printers and barcode readers for the lab environment. For large labs that need to print hundreds of labels every week, the Brady 300MVP Plus Thermal Transfer Printer meets their needs for a durable, reliable, fast printer. Smaller labs, where space is a premium, find that the Brady LABXPERT^TM v2.0 Laboratory Labeling System offers the features and print capability they need in a small, portable unit.

Both printers work seamlessly with Frontier Science's LDMS program; lab managers or their staff can also get set-up help with Brady's Stress FREE printer set-up service. With this free service, a member of Brady Technical Support Team will schedule a phone call when they will help users set-up and start using their new printer.

The new system has been met with enthusiasm by the participating labs. The simpler, more streamlined system allows them to protect their sample integrity and more effectively focus on the important research at hand. Brady continues to work with Frontier Science and the ACTG labs worldwide to meet each lab's needs for equipment, labels, and technical support.

For more information on Brady's laboratory labeling systems, visit www.bradyid.com/lab, or call 1-888-250-3082.