Online Microarray Laboratory Information Management System (M-LIMS): Linking Health Informatics and Bioinformatics

Introduction Microarrays are one of the latest breakthroughs in experimental molecular biology, which allow monitoring of gene expression for tens of thousand of genes in parallel and are already producing huge amount of valuable data. Analyses and handling of such data is becoming one of the major bottlenecks in the utilization of the technology. Before reaching the analysis stage of a microarray experiment, a researcher has to go through a variety of steps that include patient information collection, sample tissue collection, specimen retrieval from the tissue, cell line information, DNA/RNA preparation, clone generation, microarray printing etc. Gene expression data derived from analysis software applications are not meaningful unless they are linked to patient's clinical information and histology and pathology of the tissue specimen. We describe an online integrated database management and analysis system called Microarry Laboratory Information Management Systems (M-LIMS). We have developed a system that is accessible to the collaborating labs via the World Wide Web (WWW). Each laboratory can access our system online and enter, retrieve, modify and query expemental data.