Labware Lims Programming Language

[Lucrecio Poinson]

Thefields of biotechnology, chemistry, medicine and pharmaceutics have been undergoing an enormous process of digitalization for the past 10-20 years. Many programming languages and frameworks have emerged, each trying its best to attract as many followers as possible. Ranging from every single electronic instrument used in a laboratory or office, to complex organization-wide or even world-wide information systems, most of the solutions have one thing in common: they all run some sort of computer code in order to work.

Computers have been around for a while now and in parallel to the development of hardware (processors, memory devices, chips etc.), many programming languages and frameworks have emerged, each trying its best to attract as many followers as possible. Terms like C, Java, HTML, JavaScript and many more have become so popular that even people outside of IT now instantly recognize them.

So which technologies and programming languages are used in biotech, chemistry, medicine, pharma etc. nowadays? Finding a complete answer to that question is practically impossible, mostly because of the following 2 constraints:

Bearing previous paragraph in mind, the goal of this article is to research programming languages used in individual products, and draw some conclusions as to why specific technologies were used. We focused on the following two solutions that seem to be a pretty hot topic nowadays:

We have chosen LIMSs and ELNs since many are provided as web applications. For web applications, it is usually easier to figure out which technology is used in the background (we were using a browser plugin called Wappalyzer), and because of their nature, most companies offer free online demonstrations or trial versions. We focused on such products because they represent the new players on the market that want to establish a customer base. Since those products are relatively new, it is fair to assume they would be developed in technologies that are currently popular in the IT field. Worth mentioning is also that majority of researched softwares are focusing the field of research more than the field of diagnostics.

We researched the list of active LIMS and ELN vendors on the LiMSwiki.org portal (and some additional research via Google), and tried to determine their technological backgrounds. We were successful in that for only 45 LIMS/ELN systems from that list, so any interpretation of the presented data must be taken with a grain of salt, as it is probably not a representative sample of the real data. Nonetheless, we feel many findings might still be useful as a general overview of the area.

A LIMS is a valuable asset for any lab looking to grow. They help you organize inventory, digitize samples, automate processes, and more. The LIMS market is estimated to be worth $1.6 billion as of 2023 as the space is becoming crowded with options.

LIMS have evolved into sophisticated systems that support a wide range of laboratory activities, from sample management and quality control to data analysis and reporting. No two platforms are the same as some LIMS are engineered with certain industries in mind, which is why we call out the top industries served in our list.

QBench is the leading option for labs of all sizes and many industries looking to get more done and scale. QBench takes a unique approach to LIMS by creating a highly configurable and flexible LIMS. This puts the power to make changes into your hands. Since all labs operate and evolve differently, they need a flexible LIMS that adapts with them over time.

So many 2nd-time LIMS buyers choose QBench. They've felt the pain of legacy LIMS and how vendor-created, code-driven customizations lead to slow, costly updates. QBench is different. Our deep workflow configurability and flexible, easy-to-use tools allow for quick workflow adjustments, report modifications, and automation tweaks.

QBench is a Momentum Leader on G2's Grid for LIMS (psst: we have the highest combined rank on that grid). What is a Momentum Leader? G2 states, "Our Momentum Grid shows the growth trajectory that products have had in their respective spaces over the last year. The Momentum Grid identifies products that are on a high-growth trajectory based on user satisfaction scores, employee growth, and digital presence." and "With a Momentum Grid, buyers can gain insight into products that are outpacing competitors by delivering innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of their users. Buyers can also evaluate products on the Momentum Grid to keep apprised of products that are pushing the boundaries of their respective spaces."

Labguru is a great option for small labs looking to streamline and scale their operations with a focus on simplicity, ease of use, and user-friendliness. Labguru comes with a built-in ELN (learn more about the difference between a LIMS and ELN) along with inventory and equipment management features. Previously, Labguru was owned by Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a European publishing house. In mid-2024, Labguru is now owned by Titian Software, a UK-based Sample Management business, which is itself owned by the private equity division of Battery Ventures. Roughly 43% of its staff are located in Europe & the Middle East, 30% in North America, 28% in Asia (according to LinkedIn and as of late 2023). Like QBench, Labguru is well-reviewed on G2 with a 4.5/5 star rating. It does have twice as many reviews for its ELN product than its LIMS product, though. 34% of their reviews are from customers in Europe, 32% from the Middle East, and 32% from North America (as of late 2023).

LabWare is a good option for labs looking to digitize their operations thanks to their built-in ELN and LIMS automation features. LabWare boasts many automation capabilities along with QA/QC features and instrument integrations. LabWare is customizable and even has its own programming language called LIMS Basic. LabWare is privately owned and has roughly 30% of its staff in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, & Africa), 29% in North America, and 23% in South America, and 17% in Asia (according to LinkedIn and as of late 2023). LabWare's reviews come from 62% of customers in North America, 19% in Europe, and 11% in Asia (as of late 2023). LabWare is well-reviewed on G2 with 4.5/5 stars.

LabVantage is a solid option for labs looking to get started with automation and streamlining their operations. LabVantage offers a cloud-based LIMS and ELN solution with sample management, inventory management, and reporting features among its broader feature set. LabVantage is owned by The Chatterjee Group. Roughly 62% of its staff are located in Asia, 19% in North America, and 18% in Europe (according to LinkedIn and as of late 2023). LabVantage has a decent number of reviews and 4/5 stars on G2.

Lockbox LIMS (by Thirdwave Analytics) is a well-regarded player in the LIMS space. Lockbox LIMS boasts a series of features that help labs digitize and automate their operations. Lockbox LIMS is built as a Salesforce app and is available on the Salesforce AppExchange. Lockbox LIMS is privately owned. Roughly 95% of its employees are located in North America and 5% in Europe (according to LinkedIn and as of late 2023). Lockbox LIMS is well-rated on G2 with 4.9/5 stars.

Like QBench, Benchling is a comprehensive LIMS platform though it is one of the pricier options on our list and is much more of an ELN first. Benchling sports a robust set of features, especially those suited for biotech and R&D labs. Benchling is privately owned by 23 investors. Roughly 87% of its employees are in North America and 11% are in EMEA, according to LinkedIn and as of late 2023.. Benchling is well-reviewed on G2 with 4.5/5 stars.

[Redacted - this company hired a very expensive law firm to send us nasty letters, so we redacted them from this list] a powerful option for labs looking to automate and scale. Like many LIMS leaders, [Redacted] boasts many automation and workflow features along with numerous integrations. [Redacted] is owned by a large private equity firm. Roughly 53% of its employees are in North America, 29% are in the EMEA region, and the rest are distributed globally, according to LinkedIn and as of late 2023. [Redacted] is rated 4.5/5 stars G2. [Redacted] has a large number of reviews on G2 and the vast majority them are from customers in China.

While many LIMS platforms boast similar features or lots of customizability, it's important to understand the difference between being customizable using custom code and having deep workflow configurability and flexibility. Custom code is brittle, requires paying expensive developers to maintain and change. Many LIMS promise the ability to add custom fields or change field names, but that is only scratching the surface of what labs truly need. Unlike legacy LIMS that solve for each lab's unique workflows with mounds of custom code, QBench offers simple, no-code tools that empower you to make changes to your system.

Only one LIMS platform focuses on putting the power into the hands of the lab staff. Only one LIMS provides top-tier support while also bringing together a flexible system, an extensible system, and easy-to-use, no-code tools that allow you to:

LBASIC is supposed to be the script language to control the flow of simulation in LIMS 4. To accomplish this,

the interpret has to be able to do computations in floating point arithmetic. Unfortunately, most macro languages

out there use only integer values, since they are oriented more towards the processing of text or direct control

of digital devices. While it might be possible to adjust existing code, the required effort might be quite significant.

The second reason are users of LIMS, which are people with engineering background. These folks are scared of

recursion, worship FORTRAN 66, and do not like pre- and post-fix notations. Consequently we would rather avoid

direct LISP and FORTH clones and try to make the script language as close to simple BASIC as possible. The FORTRAN

syntax is a way too obsolete for an efficient macro programming.

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