Birmingham, Alabama based BioCryst Pharmaceuticals designs, optimizes and develops novel small-molecule drugs that treat cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases and viral infections. With over 50 people on staff, BioCryst�corporate offices also house a network of labs and a team of researchers engaged in the clinical development of the company�novel therapeutics.

BioCryst first implemented an inventory system four years ago when a new chemical storage facility was designed. We wanted to gain greater control over the storage of in-house chemicals and compounds for both cost and organizational reasons. Previously chemicals had been stored in the labs in which they were being used; or in our on-site warehouse. This seemed to work for a while, but because we didn�have a way to accurately track usage, chemicals were constantly being over ordered. Additionally, we were incurring very expensive shipping costs because without a centralized system for monitoring inventory essential supplies were continuously being "rush" ordered, when in fact, an adequate supply was already on-site. Finally, having chemicals stored throughout the building created a safety issue that needed to be addressed.

When the storage facility construction was complete, we chose an off-the-shelf chemical inventory system to solve our problems. As the chemicals were brought into the storage facility, they were inventoried and entered into the new inventory application. After several years of using this application, we began to realize some problems with the software. For one, it wasn�easily customized for unique usage requirements. The data was stored in a flat-file database structure, that proved to have very poor performance characteristics as it grew larger. It did not share very well to multiple desktops and there were issues backing-up the data with standard network back-up software. The data would routinely become corrupt and have to be repaired by the vendor.

BioCryst and CambridgeSoft have been working together for a long time and we currently use their chemical Registration system and BioAssay manager. So we were receptive when their developers approached us to beta test the new CambridgeSoft Inventory software and provide suggested design requirements that we felt would be useful in the new product. The collaboration was a successful one for both companies. As a result, when the new product was released, implementation of the software began immediately.

Migration of the data from the old inventory software was imported into a Microsoft Access database by BioCryst. The database was then sent to CambridgeSoft developers. The development team worked closely with BioCryst to map the old data to the database of the new software.

We chose to run the Cambridgesoft Inventory application on a file server using the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine instead of on a workstation. This allowed for normal backup operations of the data with the Veritas BackupExec SQL Server agent. This also permitted efficient sharing of the data to multiple desktops. We modeled the use of the application as closely as possible on the old application in an effort to cause as little disruption as possible in the everyday workflow.

The software is installed on a centrally located workstation in the chemical storage facility and on the desktops of the respective users. The workstation has an attached bar code printer that prints labels for substances as they are received into the inventory system.

Figure 1: Locations, containers and substances
Figure 2: Container/Compound search results

As part of the usage requirements of the inventory system, BioCryst chose to track the chemicals by the specific chemist using them. When a chemist needs a chemical from inventory, he is required to "check out" the substance to himself in the system. This is done by moving the container from its location in storage to the chemist�location. As you can see in Figure 1, the locations in the inventory system consist of storage facilities, laboratories, and the actual chemist. A chemist moves the specific container that he wants from the current location to his name. Using this method, we are able to keep up-to-date information on the substances in-house, which prevents over ordering and saves a significant amount of time and money. To further ensure compliance, we have an "On Order" location so that everyone knows what has been ordered.

When the chemist is finished working with the substance, he "checks it" back into the location where it came from. We use one of the custom fields provided in the software to help ustrack the location of the container to the shelf it is stored on. Referring to Figure 2, in the "Shelf Location" field, the container is stored in cabinet 22, shelf 5. These numbers are printed on bar code labels when they are received into the inventory system. Substances are stored alphabetically on the shelves. The search feature is used to initially locate the substance. We use a number of methods to search, but the CAS number search is probably the most common. Included among the search options is the ability to search by structure or sub-structure using the embedded ChemDraw control, which is an integral part of the application. In Figure 2, a CAS number search was used to locate a certain substance. It can be seen that four containers of the substance exist in the store room on the same shelf.

We chose not to deplete the "Qty Available" field of the substance due to the complexity and time involved. Therefore, there are usually a few containers of the same substance kept in case more is needed than the current container is holding.

The CambridgeSoft Inventory manager was quick to implement and easy to use. It enables BioCryst to manage all of our chemical substances and in turn allows us to control our costs through accurate tracking of the substances. It has been a tremendous asset to our company.

A more detailed look at Inventory and its many features can be found on page 34 of Chem&Bio News 14.4.

For more information about the Inventory application, please send email to solutions@cambridgesoft.com, or call 1 617 588-9300 in America, in Europe call 00 800 875 20000, or in Japan call 0120-731-800