Starfruit DNA^TM was designed to enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), to conform to General Laboratory Practice (GLP), to minimize paper-based operation, to perform computerized data analyses, to provide immediate online access to information. The effect of these designs is to provide efficient system response, direct access to critical information, persistent integrity of data storage and high throughput of computerization.

System Administration

Starfruit DNA^TM is user-configurable in that this functionality provides the capability of customizing Starfruit to meet individual needs of different laboratory process and facility operation. Such an open architecture supports upgradability and expandability.

User accounts can be set up with discretionary access control to Starfruit DNA^TM. Only authorized users have privilege to configure Starfruit DNA^TM for application security, data management permission, task assignment, protocol development and form approval. This sophisticated mechanism protects the necessary degrees of confidentiality of Starfruit DNA^TM.

Protocol development is a method to assure the conformance to the good General Laboratory Practices (GLPs), such as American Society of Crime Laboratory Director – Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD-LAB). An authorized user can develop protocols to guide the laboratory processes. An authorized user will enter the text instructions to describe steps involved and select necessary forms in a specified order to be used to complete a protocol. These forms are any proprietary forms adopted in the laboratory and approved in the Starfruit DNA^TM. The more protocols developed in the Starfruit DNA^TM, the more business rules and scientific knowledge is deposited in the Starfruit DNA^TM. The more business rules and scientific knowledge is available to the authorized users, the more capable the authorized users become of optimizing protocols to better operation, more robotic, more confirming to regulations and more scalable procedures.

Inventory Control

Inventory Control provides entries of chemical, primer, reagent and equipment used for the laboratory. Necessary attributes are documented to uniquely identify any inventory item; such as a LOT number of a primer that facilitates users to select the right primer set for analysis and to recognize contamination origin.

An equipment or instrument will be associated with its manufacturer and maintenance vendors. The historical records of maintenance activity provide quality control and assurance information. Starfruit DNA^TM uses the unique identification of equipment of instrument to document the location attribute of the chain of custody of a specimen. This information also can be used to investigate the contamination origin or to detect the break and damage of a specimen.

Laboratory Lifecycle

Laboratory Lifecycle represents the complete operation of a laboratory process. It starts with the package acceptance where Starfruit DNA^TM records the submitter’s information, manages the specimen and create electronic case folder. At the same time, Starfruit DNA^TM checks in the specimen into the facility and Starfruit DNA^TM starts tracking its chain of custody without human intervention. The chain of custody information includes whom transfers from and to, where retrieves from and store to, the required authentication and witness for a criminal case. The laboratory scientist will select a protocol that is defined by authorized users in the System Administration to perform a laboratory process. All the forms specified in the protocol in a required order will have to be completed, scanned in and confirmed with a protocol. This mandatory step maintains the proper accreditation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The results of the analyses will be validated and approved by authorized users. Laboratory scientists and authorized users can generate reports from such results to gain a statistic view of laboratory processes, to determine the successful closing the analysis, to build desired data warehouse, to evaluate quality control and assurance issues, etc.

In addition to package acceptance, specimen logs, chain of custody, protocols and forms, Starfruit DNA^TM is capable of digital images and document images of popular formats. These images can be re-produced but not revised. All the items mentioned become contents of the case folder. Users can browse the case folder contents online. Users can generate these case folder contents to become a document for presentation. The case folder contents become an integral entity to archive and to retrieve.