Brooks Automation, Inc.

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Brooks Automation, Inc.
Type Incorporated
Industry Automation and cryogenics
Headquarters 15 Elizabeth Drive, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Number of locations 50+
Area served Worldwide
Products
Subsidiaries Brooks Life Sciences
Website Brooks.com
Azenta.com
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/brooks-automation/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/brookslifesciences/

Brooks Automation, Inc. develops and distributes automation and cryogenics solutions. Its life sciences subsidiary develops and distributes sample management solutions.

History

In late August 2017, RURO Inc. announced that its FreezerPro sample management solution was acquired by Brooks Automation, which also acquired a license for distribution and sales of RURO's BiobankPro.[1] RURO indicated on its website that its "customers will continue to receive RURO’s outstanding Support services through their existing Support Contracts. New FreezerPro customers will continue to find information about FreezerPro on RURO’s website until the transition" is complete, roughly to the end of 2017.[2] Given the press release language, RURO presumably still develops the BiobankPro software.

In August 2018, Brooks announced it had sold semiconductor cryogenics business to Edwards Vacuum, LLC.[3]

In February 2020, Brooks announced that it had acquired Ruro in full, for $15 million. Brooks added: "We have worked with RURO in recent years and found their solutions are very effective at resolving the challenges of integrating multi-laboratory workflows, managing distributed inventories, and providing information security in a single solution. We are in an ideal position to offer and implement these comprehensive software solutions with increased value for our customers."[4]

In September 2021, Brooks announced that "Brooks Life Sciences Services and Products businesses will be rebranded under the creation of a new identity – Azenta Life Sciences ('Azenta')."[5] With the change, numerous products disappeared from the website. It's not clear if BiobankPro, BioInventory, and Sprint 6 were discontinued.

Shortly after, at some point in 2022, the former Ruro product LimitLIS[6] was removed from the Azenta website[7], and it's presumably discontinued.

Former technology and products

BiobankPro was a "web-based clinical and translational sample management software application to manage all aspects of a sample lifecycle."[8]

BioInventory provided "24/7 virtual access to their inventory, shipment and receipt status for samples stored anywhere at our network of biorepositories in the U.S., Germany, Singapore, and China."[9]

Sprint 6 was a high-throughput screening automation solution with "a powerful and dynamic scheduling algorithm to coordinate research processes in real-time."[10]

LimitLIS was a pre-configured web- and cloud-based laboratory information system (LIS) "that can quickly power-up laboratories with secure software for sample tracking and data management."[7] The software was part of the Limfinity informatics platform and was released in June 2016 through Ruro.[6]

Technology and products

FreezerPro and Limfinity

FreezerPro "is a scalable web-based sample inventory management system ideal for users managing hundreds of collections in all types of organizations ranging from lower throughput labs to central biorepositories with millions of records."[11] The software comes in Standard, Enterprise, and Elite versions.

Limfinity is a laboratory information management system (LIMS) "that enables labs to integrate sample data across all sites, linking clinical, consent, and other data to maximize the value of your samples."[12] Limfinity LIMS have pre-configured options for COVID-19 testing.[13]

Features

Product: FreezerPro
Sample, inventory, and data management
Sample login and management?Y[11]
Sample tracking?Y[11]
Sample and/or result batching?Y[11]
Task and event scheduling?
Option for manual result entry?
Multiple data viewing methods?Y[11]
Data and trend analysis?
Data and equipment sharing?
Customizable fields and/or interface?
Query capability?Y[11]
Import data?Y[11]
Internal file or data linking?
External file or data linking?
ELN support or integration?
Export data to MS Excel?Y[11]
Raw data management?
Data warehouse?
Deadline control?
Production control?
Project and/or task management?
Inventory management?Y[11]
Document creation and/or management?
Case management?
Workflow management?Y[11]
Specification management?
Customer and supplier management?
Billing management?
Quality, security, and compliance
Regulatory compliance?Y[11]
QA / QC functions?
Performance evaluation?
Audit trail?Y[11]
Chain of custody?
Configurable roles and security?Y[11]
Data normalization?
Data validation?Y[11]
Data encryption?Y[11]
Version control?
Automatic data backup?
Environmental monitoring?Y[11]
Reporting, barcoding, and printing
Custom reporting?Y[11]
Report printing?Y[11]
Label support?Y[11]
Barcode support?Y[11]
Export to PDF?Y[11]
Export to MS Word?
Export to HTML and/or XML?Y[11]
Fax integration?
Email integration?
Base functionality
Administrator management?Y[11]
Modular?
Instrument interfacing and management?
Mobile device integration?Y[11]
Alarms and/or alerts?Y[11]
Work-related time tracking?
Voice recognition system?
External monitoring?
Messaging?
Multilingual?Y[11]
Network-capable?
Web client or portal?Y[11]
Online or integrated help?
Software as a service delivery model?Y[11]
Usage-based cost?
Industries served
clinical research, life sciences
Product: Limfinity
Sample, inventory, and data management
Sample login and management?Y[12]
Sample tracking?Y[12]
Sample and/or result batching?Y[12]
Task and event scheduling?Y[12]
Option for manual result entry?
Multiple data viewing methods?
Data and trend analysis?
Data and equipment sharing?
Customizable fields and/or interface?
Query capability?Y[12]
Import data?Y[12]
Internal file or data linking?
External file or data linking?
ELN support or integration?
Export data to MS Excel?
Raw data management?Y[12]
Data warehouse?
Deadline control?
Production control?
Project and/or task management?
Inventory management?Y[12]
Document creation and/or management?
Case management?
Workflow management?Y[12]
Specification management?
Customer and supplier management?
Billing management?
Quality, security, and compliance
Regulatory compliance?Y[12]
QA / QC functions?
Performance evaluation?
Audit trail?Y[12]
Chain of custody?
Configurable roles and security?Y[12]
Data normalization?
Data validation?
Data encryption?
Version control?
Automatic data backup?
Environmental monitoring?
Reporting, barcoding, and printing
Custom reporting?
Report printing?Y[12]
Label support?Y[12]
Barcode support?
Export to PDF?
Export to MS Word?
Export to HTML and/or XML?
Fax integration?
Email integration?Y[12]
Base functionality
Administrator management?
Modular?
Instrument interfacing and management?Y[12]
Mobile device integration?Y[12]
Alarms and/or alerts?Y[12]
Work-related time tracking?
Voice recognition system?
External monitoring?
Messaging?
Multilingual?
Network-capable?
Web client or portal?
Online or integrated help?
Software as a service delivery model?Y[12]
Usage-based cost?
Industries served
clinical diagnostics, clinical research, manufacturing and R&D

Pricing

With the transition to Azenta, public pricing for FreezerPro disappeared in 2023.

Demonstration videos and other media

Demonstration videos can be found at Brooks' YouTube channel.

Additional information

References

  1. "RURO, Inc.’s FreezerPro Software Acquired by Brooks Automation, Inc.". PRWeb. Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. 24 August 2017. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/08/prweb14630079.htm. Retrieved 30 August 2017. 
  2. "FreezerPro". RURO Inc. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170830200155/https://ruro.com/products/freezerpro. Retrieved 30 August 2017. 
  3. "Brooks Automation Announces Agreement to Sell Its Semiconductor Cryogenics Business to Atlas Copco". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association, LLC. 27 August 2018. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brooks-automation-announces-agreement-to-sell-its-semiconductor-cryogenics-business-to-atlas-copco-300702793.html. Retrieved 06 May 2019. 
  4. "Brooks Acquires Laboratory Software Firm RURO Inc". Brooks Life Sciences. 17 February 2020. https://www.brookslifesciences.com/news/Brooks-acquires-RURO. Retrieved 21 October 2021. 
  5. "Brooks Introduces Azenta Life Sciences to Advance Innovative Sample Solutions". Brooks Automation, Inc. 28 September 2021. https://www.azenta.com/news/brooks-introduces-azenta-life-sciences-advance-innovative-sample-solutions. Retrieved 14 January 2022. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "RURO Releases LimitLIS, A Contemporary Laboratory Information System". RURO Inc. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201126061936/https://www.ruro.com/news/6392. Retrieved 22 January 2023. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "LimitLIS". Brooks Automation, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220119083529/https://www.azenta.com/products/limitlis. Retrieved 22 January 2023. 
  8. "BiobankPro". Brooks Life Sciences. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210123180121/https://www.brookslifesciences.com/products/biobank-sample-management-system. Retrieved 14 January 2022. 
  9. "BioInventory". Brooks Life Sciences. https://www.brookslifesciences.com/products/bioinventory-sample-management. Retrieved 06 May 2019. 
  10. "Sprint 6". Brooks Life Sciences. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210117094551/https://www.brookslifesciences.com/products/sprint-6-throughput-software. Retrieved 14 January 2022. 
  11. 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 11.19 11.20 11.21 11.22 11.23 11.24 11.25 11.26 11.27 "FreezerPro". Brooks Life Sciences. https://www.azenta.com/products/freezerpro-sample-management-system. Retrieved 14 January 2022. 
  12. 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 "Limfinity Biobanking LIMS". Brooks Automation, Inc. https://www.azenta.com/products/limfinity-biobanking-lims. Retrieved 21 January 2023. 
  13. "COVID Solutions: Limfinity & LimitLIS". Brooks Automation, Inc. https://www.brookslifesciences.com/products/covid-solutions-limfinity-limitlis. Retrieved 21 October 2021.