OpenSpecimen

OpenSpecimen is a purpose-built laboratory information management system (LIMS) for biobanks and clinical-specimen workflows. Designed to replace ad-hoc spreadsheets and generic LIMS, it models participants, visits, collection protocols and specimens so teams can capture longitudinal studies, prospective biobanking and complex processing trees (e.g., whole blood → plasma aliquots). The platform is widely adopted (100+ biobanks across 20+ countries) and is used at scales ranging from small collections to multi-million-specimen repositories. At its core OpenSpecimen provides configurable collection protocols, role- and study-specific screens, and a flexible form-builder so sites can capture the clinical and specimen metadata they need without code changes. Users can register participants and visits, collect and process specimens into child/grandchild derivatives, generate and print barcoded labels, and define storage containers (tanks, -80 units, racks and boxes) of any shape or size. Container restrictions, auto-allocation of next-available positions, and virtual freezer maps help eliminate manual placement errors and speed retrieval. Every operation—add, edit, delete, query or login—is auditable, supporting regulatory readiness and traceability requirements such as CAP accreditation efforts. Operational features focus on high-throughput entry, query and distribution. OpenSpecimen supports bulk CSV imports for every object and has UI tools for building saved reports, dashboards and pivot-style summaries that non-IT staff can use to find specimens of interest. Catalogs let sites publish curated, read-only specimen listings for external researchers to browse and request samples without exposing PHI. Request and project-management modules track researcher requests, specimen processing and invoicing. The system also supports specimen tracking across shipments, carts/pick lists for batch operations, inventory tracking for consumables, and specialized objects such as tissue microarrays (TMAs) and slides. OpenSpecimen is built to integrate. It offers REST APIs and pre-built connectors or synchronization options for systems commonly used in clinical research: REDCap (two-way synchronization of patients, visits and study forms), electronic medical records like Epic or Cerner for demographics, and pathology systems (CoPath or other pathology databases) for surgical reports. Laboratory devices and infrastructure such as barcode printers, rack scanners and robotic freezers are supported for label printing and automated storage/retrieval workflows. Enterprise deployments add features such as two-factor authentication (Duo or Google Authenticator), automated install scripts, advanced validation and error reporting, and professional SLA-based support. Hosting options include Krishagni Cloud (regional choices), with flexible licensing that can accommodate unlimited-user models for larger organizations. Typical use-cases include academic hospital biobanks, multi-site cohort studies, disease-focused repositories and translational research programs. Case studies cite installations handling millions of specimens across multiple sites, enabling centralized querying, streamlined sample distribution and improved operational efficiency. Teams report reduced duplicate entry, faster pull-and-ship operations, better audit readiness, and easier researcher access via catalogs. For groups that require customization, OpenSpecimen’s plugin model and a UI-driven form/workflow builder allow study-specific screens and validations without heavy development. In summary, OpenSpecimen is positioned as a flexible, scalable biobanking LIMS that emphasizes configurable workflows, specimen lifecycle management, integrations with clinical and research systems, and auditability. Whether implementing a single-site freezer inventory or coordinating complex multi-site collections and distributions, the system aims to reduce manual errors, speed specimen discovery and maintain traceable, compliant records for research use.