RURO Inc.

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RURO Inc.
Former type Incorporated
Industry Laboratory informatics
Fate Acquired
Defunct February 2020[1]
Headquarters 321 Ballenger Center Dr.
Suite 102
Frederick, Maryland
, U.S.
Area served Worldwide
Products
Website RURO.com
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/1567555

RURO Inc. developed and distributed laboratory informatics software solutions.


History

In late August 2017, Ruro announced that its FreezerPro sample management solution was acquired by Brooks Automation, Inc., which also acquired distribution rights to Ruro's BiobankPro.[2] 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.[3]

In 2018, additional changes came to the Ruro website. The page for its ezColony laboratory data management software disappeared. The software is presumably discontinued. Additionally, the page to its Sciency electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) disappeared in mid-2018[4] and eventually began redirecting to Brooks Automation's page for BiobankPro. It is not clear if Brooks also purchased Sciency or if Ruro simply discontinued Sciency and began referring users to the Brooks-distributed BiobankPro, which includes a built-in ELN module. Sometime in 2018 or 2019, the company removed its LIMS 24-7 solution as well, and it's presumably discontinued.

In February 2020, Brooks Automation 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."[1]

While the Ruro website is still active as of October 2021, it's not clear if the Ruro name will continue. All Ruro products are listed at Brooks.

Former technology

BiobankPro was "a biorepository management system that provides dynamic specimen tracking, freezer, study and workflow management in the cloud or on premises."[5] The company stated that whereas "LimitLIS is tailored towards CLIA commercial testing labs and focuses on testing of patient samples ... BiobankPro focuses on clinical trial sample management and next-gen biobanking."[5] A license to distribute and sell the software was acquired by Brooks Automation in 2017, though presumably RURO still develops it given the press release language.[2] However, RURO no longer lists BiobankPro on its website as of May 2019.

ezColony was a laboratory data management software designed for "automating the management of transgenic animal colonies for scientific and medical research as well as their facilities on nearly any scale."[6] The product was removed from the Ruro website sometime in 2018.

FreezerPro was software that "enables users to know precisely where a laboratory sample is located even before opening the freezer door."[3] The software was acquired by Brooks in August 2017.[2]

LIMS 24/7 was a laboratory information management system (LIMS) that assists in "lessening demands on staff, ensuring the accuracy of results or other entered content, and providing the 'big picture' to management in real-time."[7]

Sciency was an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) that acted as a scalable, integrated research environment for managing and sharing data within a robust framework that protects valuable intellectual property, streamlines laboratory processes and supports 21 CFR Part 11 compliance."[4] The software came in a Standard and Enterprise edition. Enterprise edition-only features included data encryption, the ability to set up user groups, automated backups, and "gold support."[8]

Technology and products

LimitLIS and Limfinity Platform

LimitLIS is a web- and cloud-based laboratory information system (LIS) "that provides access to sample information from anywhere in the world."[9] The software is part of the Limfinity informatics platform and was released in June 2016.[10]

The Limfinity platform "provides the foundation for secure and compliant life science applications so you can get up and running within days, not months."[11] It includes modules for patient consent management (CS), machine learning (ML), next-generation sequencing (NGS), RFID, research study management (SM), and translational science (TSI).

See Brooks Automation, Inc. for more about these products.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "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. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "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. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "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. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Sciency ELN". Ruro Inc. Archived from the original on 09 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180309060258/https://sciency-eln.com/. Retrieved 05 January 2019. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "BiobankPro". RURO, Inc. https://www.ruro.com/products/biobankpro. Retrieved 30 August 2017. 
  6. "ezColony" (PDF). RURO, Inc. Archived from the original on 05 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105204402/https://www.ruro.com/resources/ezColony.pdf. Retrieved 05 January 2019. 
  7. "LIMS 24/7". RURO Inc. https://ruro.com/products/lims-247. Retrieved 30 August 2017. 
  8. "Sciency Electronic Laboratory Notebook" (PDF). Ruro Inc. Archived from the original on 05 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105204831/https://www.ruro.com/resources/SciencyELN.pdf. Retrieved 05 January 2019. 
  9. "LimitLIS". RURO Inc. https://www.ruro.com/limitlis/overview. Retrieved 05 January 2019. 
  10. "RURO Releases LimitLIS, A Contemporary Laboratory Information System". RURO Inc. 28 June 2016. https://www.ruro.com/news/6392. Retrieved 06 May 2019. 
  11. "Limfinity". RURO Inc. https://www.ruro.com/limfinity/overview. Retrieved 06 May 2019.