Lab Equipment Validation Conference Anounced

14 Jun 2007

‘Laboratory Equipment Validation’ is the latest conference stream to be announced at L.A.B., the new European trade fair and conference devoted to analysis, bio and laboratory equipment. Laboratory Equipment Validation is the key to ensuring reliable results, and the topic raises many questions about laboratory procedures, which will be debated throughout the day. Organised by Leipziger Messe, the conference stream will be chaired by Penelope Bearne, Chairman of the British Association of Research Quality Assurance (BARQA), and will take place on October 2 2007.

From establishing operational qualification (OQ) and installation qualification (IQ), the conference will examine issues raised by ISO 17025: Testing & Calibration Laboratory Requirements (formerly known as ISO 9002 Guide 25), featuring presentations from industry specialists which will facilitate discussion from an expected audience of about 250 people.

Penelope Bearne comments: “I am pleased that L.A.B. 2007 will be hosting a conference stream dedicated to laboratory equipment validation, and that Leipziger Messe recognises it as an area that should be on the public agenda. We are going to see the key issues in this area discussed by some of the most experienced people in the industry during the day, and we aim to move some important debates forward.”

The conference will examine the following areas of laboratory equipment validation:

Designing effective validation protocols: examining the requirements of an effective protocol through to developing templates, writing and executing
Roles and responsibilities of vendors and laboratories in validation processes
Selecting the right supplier and developing the vendor assessment process, determining the type of assessment, preparing and reporting the findings
Validation and qualification of laboratory IT and computer systems, from audit trails and data archiving to maintaining network qualification and security requirements
Maintaining validation throughout the instrument lifecycle from procurement planning to decommissioning
Dealing with validation auditing, including practical approaches to the audit process, the regulators approach to audits and preventative procedures
Risk-based qualification and systems validation, from applying GAMP (Good Automated Manufacturing Practice) to tools for equipment validation
Understanding and responding to the regulatory environment, evaluating FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) expectations and strategies to mitigate immediate compliance risks.