It’s Important to stay aware The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) released its “Request for Information (RFI) on Clarifying the Reporting Requirements for Departures from the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” (NOT-OD-21-161) in July of this year. The response deadline just passed as of November …
In our last blog post, we detailed the importance of conducting regular Health Checks. This week, we will take a look at the different ways that a Health Check can be done, as well as other factors that should be considered when evaluating your processes. What is a Health Check? To recap: Health Check is a …
Purchasing laboratory management software may seem like the obvious fix for an institution’s productivity. Robust software that streamlines processes and improves workflow are highly valued and touted as a must-have for any organization with an animal research program. However, the work doesn’t end once the software is installed and users are trained. Over time, software …
The Importance of Regular Software Health Checks Read More »
Your institution has determined it is ready to change software solutions. This can happen for many reasons and depending on how well you prepare, can have different outcomes. This guide will help walk you through the process of organizing your needs internally and properly vetting potential solutions. Identify Why It’s important to know exactly why …
Cost Accounting offers a wholistic look of recurring and onetime costs to help you establish per diem rates across species, cage types, and locations. TOPAZ offers both a Cost Accounting Module within Elements for ongoing reporting as well as a separate Cost Accounting Consultation Service. Either option helps you to establish baseline costs for your …
On May 21st, the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) made an exciting announcement that it is updating the reporting period for the Annual Report in order to harmonize with the Annual Report required for the USDA (NOT-OD-20-109). This is a direct outcome of the 21st Century Cures Act (21CCA) and, notably, it is the …
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives, despite whether we know anyone who has contracted the virus or not. From visits to the doctor to shopping for groceries, and working from home to furloughs and layoffs, it has affected us all. Plenty has certainly changed in the field of research as …
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that normal operations can be disrupted at any time to varying degrees as a result of completely unforeseeable or underestimated events. This is why animal care and use programs must have disaster and business continuity plans. But even the best-laid plans will never cover every scenario, …
2019 Was Kinda Nuts… The perpetually novel landscape of biomedical research is well suited to the dynamic environment of software development. The kinetic energy of both disciplines proves a challenging and rewarding space. In 2019, there were significant breakthroughs in the treatment of prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, sickle cell anemia, and even the cantankerous kindergarten …
TOPAZ Elements has numerous modules (13 at last count!) that can be used effectively in a variety of combinations. It is true to say, however, that the Census module (along with the Protocols module) represents a sort of “hub of the wheel.” The Census module allows you to create and manage the animals that are …
