Premier Cancer Diagnostics and Pharma Services Company
A leading diagnostic laboratory for genomic testing was looking for a new partner to provide the support they needed for software engineering, testing and release management. With a goal of growing their company organically, and through acquisitions, the client wanted a reliable organization who could handle their expansion and proactively support their ongoing software development needs.
The Client
The client is a high-complexity CLIA-certified clinical laboratory and pharma services company that specializes in cancer genetics diagnostic testing. They provide one of the most comprehensive oncology-focused testing menus in the world to help physicians diagnose and treat cancer. Their Pharma Services division serves pharmaceutical clients in clinical trials and drug development. They serve the needs of pathologists, oncologists, academic centers, hospital systems, pharmaceutical firms, integrated service delivery networks, and managed care organizations throughout the United States, as well as pharmaceutical firms in Europe and Asia.
Industry
Thanks to advances in technology, medical sampling and testing has changed dramatically over the last couple of decades. Implementing the right technology ensures a smooth process for the delivery, testing, and interpretation of samples, as well as sharing results seamlessly.
Challenge
Prior to partnering with EPIC, the client had been experiencing issues with another firm serving them. Communication concerns and frequent staff turnover meant having to constantly re-educate new team members, costing the client time and money, as well as impacting overall quality. The client’s technology leadership team was looking to maximize their contributions to the company’s mission, but these impediments were keeping them from expanding in the manner and at the pace they sought.
Solution
In order to work with a team better suited for their rate of expansion, the client decided to hire Aubrant as their new partner. This new team went right to work, starting by understanding the end-to-end workflow for each of the various tests offered by the client. Aubrant recommended and established best practices, incorporating those practices into the existing laboratory information management system (LIMS). The client’s LIMS application functionality includes accessioning, specimen management, case status and workflow, workflows for each lab methodology, interfaces to external lab equipment, and more. Once this system was established, EPIC’s team worked on adding and removing tests and panels; creating and modifying reports; implementing and changing the UI for lab processes, internal users, and clients; and third-party systems integration. Aubrant has been able to support the client’s growth and expand with them along the way. The Aubrant team has grown its original team of 5 developers to 15, with the same members supporting the client the entire time. The Aubrant team specializes in development, testing and release management. This maturity and knowledge of the business, while essential for long-term growth, isn’t easy to find in these types of partnerships.
Resources & Technologies
- 1 Project Manager
- 5 Senior Developers focused on developing new features and updating existing functionality
- 3 QA Engineers focused on test automation (regression) and performance testing
- 4 QA Analysts focused on the manual testing of new features and functionalities
- 1 DevOps Engineer focused on release management
- Microsoft
- Salesforce
- HL7
Results
Aubrant migrated the client from complex, manual processes to automated workflows for their laboratory software. Thanks in part to a more streamlined approach, and backed by software industry best practices, the client is now growing at a pace that they can successfully manage throughout their systems. Currently, they are building a state-of-the-art headquarters and are looking to hire an additional 200 people to accommodate their growth. They’ve also recently acquired two companies, continuing their amazing growth internationally. These acquisitions were no problem for the client, as the flexibility of their LIMS allowed them to seamlessly incorporate the new companies’ testing capabilities.
Testimonial
Thank you for the amazing collaboration and excellent effort! Aubrant continuously shows us why we have such faith in them as a vendor partner! We work as a solid team and have created trust in each other! Great job!!
