labfolder officially completes beta-phase – the digital lab notebook now includes improved features like digital signature free of charge for researchers worldwide.
Berlin, May 6th, 2014 – Today, the digital lab notebook labfolder completes its beta-phase, after continuously improving its functions. The new version now includes extensive features such as digital signatures and the import of various text files and table formats. All functions that were previously tested by more than 2,000 scientists worldwide can now be used by the international research community. labfolder is free for individual researchers or small research groups.
Even though the vast majority of research data is nowadays accumulated in digital formats, conventional paper notebooks are still widely used for the documentation of scientific findings and laboratory data. Many scientists are therefore looking for digital alternatives. While software solutions like Evernote, Word or Excel allow the digital recording of data, they have a limited usability as far as audits or patent litigations are concerned because they allow for later alterations to those documents and digital signatures are not always available. Digital lab books like labfolder that allow the documentation in compliance with the guidelines of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and CFR 21 part 11 on laptops, tablets and smartphones, can be a viable solution.
In compliance with international standards for laboratories, all records and amendments have to include a timestamps and a unique reference to the author within the process of documentation. It is important that digital documents are protected against unauthorized access and loss by extensive security measures. In order to defend patent claims, it is also necessary that colleagues can review documents and have the option to witness and countersign them after examination. „Many researchers are confused by the massive scope of regulations,“ says Dr. Florian Hauer, COO of labfolder. „In a digital environment, the system can take care of meeting the regulatory requirements for laboratories instead of scientists having to make an additional effort.“
With the official release of labfolder, the digital lab book not only provides digital signatures for entries, but also allows colleagues to comment and digitally countersign on entries in a closed and protected group. „It was important to us to make the entire process chain of scientific documentation requirements digitally accessible,“ adds Dr. Simon Bungers, CEO of labfolder. „Therefore all functions that are in compliance with the Good Laboratory Practice such as digital signatures and digital witnessing, full audit trail and many others are already included in the free basic package“.
In order to use already entered data and protocols efficiently, the beta-phase now includes the import function for popular document and spreadsheet formats like Microsoft Word and Excel, OpenOffice and others. Document and spreadsheet files can be uploaded, displayed and modified directly within labfolder. „Saving these formats in labfolder allows for an archiving according to laboratory documentation guidelines“ says Mathias Schäffner, CTO of labfolder „Uploaded files and content can be easily signed digitally. Additionally, already existing content like the protocol collection of a research group can be reused in labfolder – by individuals or the entire group.“
LINK TO PRESS MATERIAL (photos, screenshots)
labfolder is a documentation and planning tool for laboratory research. At www.labfolder.com, scientists can easily plan their experiments, document their data and collaborate with other scientists, while securing intellectual property and compliance to the guidelines of good scientific practice. labfolder is free for individual scientists and small research groups. With free apps for Android and iOS, labfolder allows scientists to use their smartphones and tablets as digital lab notebooks.
labfolder GmbH, with headquarters in Berlin, was founded in 2013 by Simon Bungers (PhD, molecular biologist, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, previously co-founder of www.sox-n-boxers.de), Florian Hauer (PhD biophysicist, MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen) and Mathias Schäffner (software architect, previously co-founder of praktium.info which was sold to Absolventa in 2009).
Already at an early stage in 2012, the team won an EXIST fellowship for founders from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and was supported by profund, the entrepreneurship office of the Free University of Berlin. labfolder received awards in several start-up competitions, including Science4Life, start2grow and the Start-up competition Berlin-Brandenburg.
In October 2013, Vogel Ventures, IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft and the business angel Jan Bohl invested a high six-digit figure into the company.
labfolder GmbH
Florian Hauer
Schönhauser Allee 6/7
10119 Berlin
0049 176 24337833
contact@labfolder.com
http://www.labfolder.com