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Cal Poly Pomona Adopts Research Compliance Tool
California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, has adopted new research management software in an effort to increase safety and improve efficiency.
The university chose a-tune software's tick@lab solution to speed up the research approval process. Major factors in the decision were the increased efficiency and quality of data collection used to ensure the safety of the human subjects, along with management of additional risk by utilizing audit trailing capabilities to ensure appropriate process and procedures mandated by the university.
"With the increase of both human and animal studies here, the amount of oversight and compliance required by the regulatory agencies can be daunting," said Compliance Associate for the Animal Care and Use Committee and Institutional Review Board Bruce Kennedy. "Without the use of technology to help administer these programs, it would certainly increase the time to approve and manage the studies."
Tick@lab software for management of lab animals, breeding colonies, and animal facilities includes:
- Forms for the submission of protocols as per applicable national laws and guidelines, along with ensured compliance with organization-specific standards, laws, and guidelines;
- Workflows for monitoring, approval, and forwarding to respective authorities or ethical committees;
- Individual workflows for requests and orders from external suppliers as well as from internal breeding;
- Up-to-date information online about current and future occupancy and capacity for rooms, sections, and buildings;
- Animal CV and History records containing a chronology of all activities and data changes;
- User-defined templates for various kinds of animal data, including medical observations, treatments, and studies;
- Management of breeding lines and colonies;
- User-defined reporting for animal facility management, users, research, and authorities; and
- Simple, cost-effective operation, including heterogeneous IT environments, and operation across site boundaries using Web technology.
Andreas Staubi, president and CEO of a-tune software Inc., noted that while research institutions are under pressure to meet the demands of regulatory agencies, they are also expected to increase productivity. Coupled with the fact that institutions are often expected to achieve these goals with decreased financial and human resources, the only apparent answer is innovation, according to Staubi.
A-tune software, established in 1998, is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, and has an affiliate in Cambridge, MA. The company is primarily focused on data management for research and development in life sciences, along with task and project management for insurance, financial services, and IT.
Cal Poly Pomona serves 21,000 students with more than 3,000 faculty and staff within California's state university system.
For more information about Cal Poly Paloma, visit csupomona.edu. Go to a-tune.com to learn more about a-tune software.
About the Author
Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at sportswryter@yahoo.com.