WORMFLOW OVERVIEW
Designed for the C. elegans researcher by a C. elegans researcher WormFlow is a unique software product that combines the convenience and security of a dedicated sample tracking and inventory system with the power of a true relational SQL database to provide users with instant insight into and access to laboratory constructional workflows from building blocks to final transgenic worm strains.
By building links between starting reagents, such as DNA oligonucleotides or vectors, and intermediate and final construction products, such as plasmids or PCR products and worm strains, WormFlow enables users to interrogate current and historical hierarchical workflows generated when producing transgenic worms.
This ability to store and retrospectively review construction details and workflows provides assurance to project leaders that potentially key information for experiment planning or writing manuscripts or grant proposals is centrally available and interpretable. No more need to decipher student lab notebooks!
And, at the core of WormFlow, the sample tracking and inventory system, based on a well-established Pro-curo system, enables users to deposit and locate samples in user-designed container types distributed between different freezers or liquid N2 Dewar flasks. Not only secure sample storage but secure lab work histories too.
WORMFLOW – spreadsheet or database?
Being able to easily find your samples within the complex array of shelves, drawers and boxes of many ultra-cold freezers is crucial to an efficient and productive lab. You could use a spreadsheet but these are limiting in many ways – a spreadsheet is not a relational database. A database allows you to link multiple entities in ways you can’t with a spreadsheet and allows multiple users to access the data at the same time. Also, a database stores all your associated metadata where is should be – with the correct database entity record.
Built with Microsoft .NET and SQL backend WormFlow provides a true relational database environment to track all your samples in any number of user-defined storage situations. In addition, and key to WormFlow’s functionality, relationships between entity records allow the user to build records of complex constructional workflows that can be interrogated at a later date when any hardcopy records of the experimental methods may not be available or accessible.
