SLIMarray: Lightweight software for microarray facility management

BackgroundMicroarray core facilities are commonplace in biological research organizations, and need systems for accurately tracking various logistical aspects of their operation. Although these different needs could be handled separately, an integrated management system provides benefits in organization, automation and reduction in errors.ResultsWe present SLIMarray (S ystem for L ab I nformation M anagement of Microarray s), an open source, modular database web application capable of managing microarray inventories, sample processing and usage charges. The software allows modular configuration and is well suited for further development, providing users the flexibility to adapt it to their needs. SLIMarray Lite, a version of the software that is especially easy to install and run, is also available.ConclusionSLIMarray addresses the previously unmet need for free and open source software for managing the logistics of a microarray core facility.