Screensaver

Screensaver is a Lab Information Management System (LIMS) for high-throughput screening of small molecule and RNAi biological assays. It is a Java/JSF/Hibernate/Spring web application that is actively being developed and used at Harvard Medical School.

In detail it offers the following features:

• Libraries
  • Manage screening libraries, including small molecule and RNAi libraries.
  • Import library plate/well contents from SD and Excel files for small molecule and RNAi libraries, respectively.
  • Maintain historical versions of library contents, allowing reagent information to be updated and/or corrected, while keeping past versions of the library contents information intact for auditing purposes.
  • Browse and search library contents (well and reagent information)
  • View small molecule structures.
  • Track, view, and set well reagent volumes on library plate copies, ensuring source library plate copies are never overdrawn.
• Screens
  • Manage screens and screen result data.
  • Manage relevant screen information, such as title, PI, collaborators, assay protocol, status, publications, etc.
  • View and export screen result data in sortable and searchable data tables, and and as heat maps.
  • Perform side-by-side data comparisons between multiple screens.
• Activities
  • Track library plate screenings, cherry pick plate creations, and data-related administrative activities
• Validation ("Cherry Pick") Screens
  • Manage requests for follow-up, validation screens.
  • Manage the workflow for producing validation ("cherry pick") screening assay plates, tracking the status
  • Generate machine-readable plate mapping files for use by automated plate mapping machines.
• Studies: Add annotations to library reagents, allowing biologically relevant information to be shared among all users. For example, cell toxicity or luminescence data on small molecule reagents, siRNA off-target effects, etc. Annotation data can be provided as part of an imported screen result or can be imported from the data of an external, published study.
• Screeners & Staff
  • Manage users accounts for both screeners and staff (administrators)
  • Maintain screeners' associations with fellow lab members and screen collaborators
  • Track screeners' administrative details via "checklist items" (e.g., to track required trainings, email list subscriptions, etc.)
  • Restrict access to data and commands as appropriate for the user's authorizations and data sharing policies.
  • Support for multiple data sharing levels for screeners's data. This includes tiered levels of mutual sharing, so that screeners can view data from others' screens that are being shared at the same level. (This encourages screeners to share their data, but still supports the option of full data privacy.)