Technologies for identifying unique items using radiowaves, also known as radio frequency identification(RFID), have been available for decades. In the past,the lack of standards and the high cost of tags and read-ers have limited RFID applications to tracking high-value items. Now that the cost of RFID tags has signifi-cantly declined and interoperability standards are beingdefined, the technology is being applied throughoutsupply chains. While most supply chain systems are fo-cused on deploying RFID technology on the pallet,case, and carton levels, laboratory information manage-ment systems (LIMS) are leveraging RFID data to en-hance item (sample) level tracking by creating a loca-tion-based, real-time chain-of-custody (COC).

Forensic, clinical trial, and diagnostic laboratories of-fer an excellent example of a situation in which theCOC and integrity of the sample life cycle are cru-cial. The outcome of a prosecution or diagnosticconclusion depends on thoroughly documenting themovement of samples from one pair of hands to thenext. RFID tracking can offer a robust and real-timesolution. According to a study by Cap Gemini Ernst& Young, “For an average clinical trial of a drug, ap-plying RFID can speed the trial’s completion by up to5 percent, as well as reduce start-up delays and de-crease trial errors and dropouts of trial participants.”1

This article discusses RFID technology, RFID labo-ratory applications, and the technique’s integrationwith LIMS. The applied technology is illustrated bySTARLIMS RFID integration components(STARLIMS Corp., Hollywood, FL).

RFID technologyA basic RFID system consists of three components:antenna, transceiver (with decoder), andtransponder (RF tag). The antenna activates thetag with radio signals in order to read (or write)

data and is the conduit between the tag and thetransceiver. The transceiver controls the system’sdata acquisition and communication. Thetransponder, or tag, carries unique electronicallyprogrammed information. RFID tags used fortracking are programmed with a unique set of data(usually 32–128 bits) that cannot be modified.

Often the antenna is packaged with both atransceiver and decoder to operate as a reader thatemits radio waves. When an RFID tag passesthrough the electromagnetic field, it detects thereader’s activation signal. The reader decodes thedata encoded in the tag’s integrated circuit and thedata are passed to the host computer for processing.

Hailed by IDC (Framingham, MA) analystChristopher Boone as “the oldest new technol-ogy,” 2 RFID technology has been used for years inaccess cards, livestock tracking, and transpondersfor automated highway toll collection. What isnew and attractive about RFID technology is thatthe standardization and major reduction in costare turning it into a highly feasible and advancedalternative to the venerable bar-code solutions.

While bar-code systems use optical signals totransfer information from the printed coded labelto the bar-code scanner, RFID uses radio fre-quency signals to transfer information from theRFID tag attached to the tracked item to theRFID reader located in that vicinity. However,unlike bar-code scanning, RFID reading can bedone remotely and does not require direct con-tact or line of sight between the item and thereader. The reader communicates with a tag thatholds digital information (i.e., a unique identifi-cation number) programmed on a microchip.The RFID antenna enables the microchip totransmit static and dynamic identification data

Reprinted from American Laboratory September 2004

Leveraging Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) Technology to Improve LaboratoryInformation Management

by Mukunth Venkatesan and Zvi Grauer

to the reader. The reader converts the radiowaves into data, which are passed on to con-nected information systems. Once the tag’sunique identification number is received, theitem carrying the tag can be associated with vari-ous dynamic data, such as its origin, expirationdate, and storage requirements.

Advances in RFID technology have had a significantimpact on the reduction in size and cost of the RFIDtags. Also referred to as Smart Labels, these tags re-semble typical bar-code labels; under the face sheetof the labels lay RFID inserts that consist of the mi-crochip and an antenna mounted on an ultrathinsubstrate. Smart Labels can be printed like bar-codelabels, employing RFID tag printers capable of simul-taneously printing bar code, text, and graphics onthe surface of the label and reading, programming,and verifying the RF tag embedded in the label.

Commercial off-the-shelf RFID technology compo-nents are available from various vendors such as In-termec Technologies Corp. (Everett, WA), which isoffering complete systems comprising tags, inserts,readers, development software, printers, and cus-tomized antennas suited for specific system solutions.

RFID tags are very difficult to forge, making thistechnology very suitable for securing the identity ofitems. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) re-port on combating counterfeit drugs (February2004) cites RFID as being the “technology with thestrongest potential for securing the supply chain.” 3

RFID applications in the laboratoryWhile most of the emerging RFID business is aimedat large-scale tracking (of container, pallet, and caseshipments), the common view is that real growth inthe RFID market will not occur until manufacturersare comfortable with tracking individual items.3

Unlike supply chain applications, laboratory appli-cations are already based on testing and trackingunique items (e.g., samples). Agile LIMS vendorsare currently leveraging RFID data to enhance sam-ple tracking by creating location-based COC. Theuse of RFID technology provides laboratories withimmediate advantages over traditional identifica-tion methods such as bar codes, including en-hanced security and the ability to read data withoutrequiring direct line of sight.

RFID is particularly suited for use in applicationswhere a label-based bar code may be contaminatedor concealed by environmental or testing conditions.The real justification for RFID comes with demand-

ing requirements for sample tracking integrity. Onesuch example would be in forensic laboratories,which often deal with cases whose outcomes are de-termined by laboratory tests (such as DNA profil-ing). In many of these cases, the evidence trail is asimportant as the evidence itself. Establishing defen-sible records of the whereabouts of the evidence dur-ing its complete life cycle in the laboratory is criticalfrom both the business and sample authenticity per-spectives. RFID technology can be deployed tomaintain and actively verify the COC of samplesand to substantiate the authenticity of the results.

A significant step toward implementing RFID tech-nology in high-throughput diagnostic laboratorieswas taken by Maxell Corporation of America (FairLawn, NJ), which is preparing a release of rewritableRFID-embedded test tubes and compatible readersthat will enable a 96-test-tube tray to be logged inseconds and at substantially lower cost than currentbar-code based methods.4

The prospect of RFID implementation in laborato-ries looks even more promising when the potentialof coupling RFID technology with microsensors isconsidered. This will enable RFID tags to transmitnot only identification codes but also variouschemical, physical, and biological parameters re-flecting the real-time condition of the item tracked(e.g., temperature and pH).

RFID integration with LIMSThe need exists to track samples’ locations withinthe laboratory, log them into a LIMS, and release aCOC report listing all sample movements and own-erships. Sample locations must be strictly trackedthroughout the complete sample life cycle. A typicalsample life cycle consists of the following steps:

• Sample registration• Work/sample assignment• Sample preparation/analysis (at different loca-

tions within the laboratory)• Results entry• Results approval• Sample disposal or sample return to authorities

and subsequent disposal.

STARLIMS Corp.’s integrated RFID module wascreated to manage information retrieved from multi-ple RFID readers set up within the testing site. Eachreader is identified by the name of the location whereit is placed. Whenever an RFID tag enters or leaves aroom, the tagged sample is sensed and tracked by thesystem. Each movement is recorded in a log togetherwith the sample identification (Figure 1).

The STARLIMS personalized messaging system (con-sole) displays a dedicated COC events branch (CO-CEVENT). The number associated with the branchindicates the total number of events logged by STAR-LIMS within the given laboratory. By double-clickingthe branch, it is possible to enter the COC windowand review the specifics of each event that took placewithin the laboratory (Figure 2).

The COC log contains information tracking the previ-ous and current sample locations. The first event is al-ways the arrival of the sample at the first RFID reader.Each additional log entry (record) is the result of twoevents created by the same sample within the laboratory.In other words, the sample is detected in two locationsand the record indicates the move between them. Forexample, RFID reader #1 may be located at the wetchemistry laboratory and RFID reader #2 at the analyti-cal laboratory. Upon leaving the wet chemistry labora-tory, the sample is logged once, and upon entry into theanalytical laboratory it is logged again. The first logevent is considered as the exit from wet chemistry, andthe second as the entry into analytical. When a

read/write tag is used, the STARLIMS RFID modulecan also write these events into the label itself (Figure 3).

Automated tracking using RFID within the lab-oratory environment is a major advance inmaintaining real-time COC of laboratory sam-ples, quality control standards, toxic materials,and other controlled items. The technique issure to find many more innovative applicationswithin the laboratory as more laboratory au-tomation systems integrate it into their samplelife cycles.

ConclusionRFID kits coupled with location-based tracking ap-plications seamlessly integrated into LIMS can de-tect a sample’s movement and record its COC. Thistechnique is a practical solution for tracing samplesfrom receipt through analysis, through data entryand approvals, up to the final discharge. WithHealth and Human Services Secretary TommyThompson’s call to speed RFID tags’ adoptionthroughout the medical industry,5 and the ongoingprogress in technology, cost reduction, and support-ing applications, the future of RFID in mainstreamlaboratory work flows looks brighter than ever.

References1. www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/710/1/1/.2. www.infoworld.com/article/04/06/08/HNrfidtagsgain_1.html.3. www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/counterfeit/report02_04.html.4. www.maxell.com/Home/rfid/main_RFID.html.5. www.health-itworld.com/enews/06-15-2004_237.html.

Mr. Venkatesan is Director, STARLIMS (AP) Centre of Excel-lence, and Dr. Grauer is Scientific Director, STARLIMS Corp.,4000 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 515 S., Hollywood, FL 33021-6755,U.S.A.; tel.: 954-964-8663; fax: 954-964-8113; e-mail:zvig@starlims.com.

Figure 1 RFID setup window.

Figure 3 COC logs.

Figure 2 RFID COC event prompts.