Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
quality control teams, who would investigate the discrepancies. Others
in quality control designed tests to check the quality of both incom-
ing reagents and outgoing products. Barcodes allowed a certain degree
of oversight—one could compare, for instance, sequence read lengths
from a reagent from supplier A with those from a similar reagent from
supplier B, or the quality scores of data coming from samples prepared
by worker A compared with those from worker B. But often this was
not enough—in order to improve processes, “development” subteams
in each sequencing team designed specifi c tests to measure the effects of
using more or less reagent, or a cheaper alternative, or a faster process.
They might ask, for instance: “Could we be using less TAQ polymerase
and getting the same quality output?” These processes allowed the
Broad to track workers on the lab fl oor, counting the number of pipette
tips they discarded or the amount of a reagent they used in order to
perform a particular sequencing step. If particular workers were found
to use, for instance, fewer pipette tips for the same quality of product, a
whole team could adopt their techniques. Little by little, the cost of the
whole operation could be whittled down.
Meredith's lab maintained “tracking sheets” for monitoring work
from day to day. The tracking sheets record “which libraries we're mak-
ing, who did it, when they started, how much they started with.” As well
as containing handwritten notes on a worker's activities, the tracking
sheets interface with the barcode system: in order to use a reagent, the
worker must peel off its barcode and attach it to the tracking sheet; at
the end of the week, the tracking sheets are scanned and the invento-
ries of reagents updated. The electronic record of the tracking sheet is
then linked to electronic fi les containing pictures of gels and results of
QC tests. This database is maintained in the business operations soft-
ware SAP. Without such a sophisticated record, Meredith tells me, high
throughput would be impossible: the database allows “fairies” (who
resupply the lab) to make sure the lab never runs out of anything. “We
don't stop for anything,” Meredith reassures me.
Before when I started here there was no standard tracking sheet.
People would do your very common diary-type that molecular
biologists do in the lab, page numbers . . . and they just say, “this
is what they did today.” . . . Which is great, except when you
need to troubleshoot and fi gure out why this is so good or why
this is so bad, you go back, and you need to go back many pages,
and many times people didn't think that was a very important
piece of information to keep. . . . There is not much reliability in
