Streamlining Sample Management with Biorepository Software

Biorepositories manage large collections of samples that need to be easy to find, use, and audit. Without the right biorepository software, simple questions become hard to answer: Where is this sample stored? Has it already been used? Is it still within its storage window? Spreadsheets and other manual tools break down as collections grow. They’re slow to update, difficult to audit, and prone to error. Here we discuss some of the ways that biorepository software can combat these challenges.

What is Biorepository Software?

Biorepository software is specialized sample management software designed for labs that store, annotate, and distribute biological specimens. Instead of tracking samples in stand-alone spreadsheets or homegrown tools, biorepository software links each sample to its metadata, consent information, storage location, and usage history.

For many organizations, biorepository software becomes the system of record for specimens. It provides structured sample types, supports study and project context, and helps teams answer key questions quickly: which samples are available, where they are stored, and how they have been used over time.

How Can Biorepository Software Help?

1. Centralized Sample Tracking: Biorepository and biobank software gives your team a single, central place to track samples, instead of juggling paper records or scattered spreadsheets. Researchers can easily log in and use the software, and see each sample location, lineage, storage conditions, and associated data. This streamlines the process of finding samples and related information along with reducing potential errors.
2. Sample Inventory Management:Biorepository software helps labs standardize inventory practices. Users can create digital storage locations, monitor available freezer space, and see capacity at a glance. That makes it easier to avoid misplaced samples and maintain the integrity of valuable research materials.
3. Sample Lifecycle Management: Sample management software can facilitate comprehensive management of the entire lifecycle of samples in the lab, from sample collection to disposal. Researchers can record sample source details, track storage duration, and set expiration dates for samples. This functionality helps laboratories efficiently manage sample repositories, prevent sample degradation, and comply with regulatory requirements.
4. Barcode Integration: Integrating barcode technology with biorepository software enables rapid and accurate sample identification. Each sample can be assigned a unique identifier, which can be easily scanned using a barcode reader. Scanning barcodes cuts down on manual data entry, reduces transcription errors, and speeds up sample processing, especially in high-throughput labs and biorepositories.
5. Data Security and Traceability: Biorepository software enhances data security and traceability by providing role-based access control and an audit trail of all sample-related activities within the software. Researchers can assign different user roles with varying levels of access privileges, ensuring that sensitive data is only accessible to authorized personnel. Biorepository softwares can also record and timestamp every action, so you have a clear audit trail for traceability and accountability.
6. Distribution and Request Tracking: When a sample ships to a collaborator or gets consumed in an assay, biorepository software turns that transaction into part of the sample’s permanent record instead of a note in someone’s inbox. That matters most at multi-site biobanks, where a sample can leave the building entirely.

How To Evaluate Biorepository Software

Most biorepository software looks similar in a demo. The differences show up 6 months in, once a collection has grown and an audit is due. Before you choose a system, check for:

Configurable metadata you control

You define custom fields to match how your lab structures samples, without filing an IT ticket every time a protocol changes.

Full audit trails

Every change carries a timestamp, a user, and a reason, so an inspector can reconstruct a sample’s history without asking anyone to remember it.

Storage tracking to the freezer, rack, box, and position level

So “where is it” always has one specific answer, not a shared spreadsheet someone has to cross-check.

Verified performance at scale

Ask how the system performs at real production volume before you sign, not demo-day volume.

 

Biorepository Software from LabKey

LabKey Sample Manager is cloud-based biorepository software built for teams that need traceable, audit-ready sample management. It’s flexible enough to support small collections as well as large, multi-site biorepositories. With Sample Manager you can:

• Manage the complete lifecycle of your samples
• Register any type of sample with all of the data required
• Capture an audit-ready log of actions performed on each sample
• Track sample storage locations and freezer capacity
• Standardize processes using workflow management tools

Take a tour of Sample Manager and learn more!