Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) Data Archiving Enabled by ASM Format with Merck & Co. Inc

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Transforming ELN Data Archiving: A Recap from the 2024 Allotrope Connect Workshop

At the 2024 Allotrope Connect Workshop, Merck & Co., Inc.and ZONTAL presented a session on the future of Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) data archiving, highlighting the role of the ASM (Allotrope Simple Model) format in preserving and standardizing scientific data. Featuring Sreeni Yetukuri (Merck & Co., Inc.) and Spencer Gardiner (ZONTAL), the session focused on digital transformation in ELN data management and included a live demonstration of the ASM-powered ELN archive solution.

Key Takeaways from the Workshop

Addressing the Challenges in ELN Data Management

R&D organizations increasingly depend on ELNs to capture and store scientific knowledge. However, as digital ecosystems mature, these systems pose new challenges. ELN data is often fragmented across platforms, making retrieval and analysis difficult. Proprietary file formats limit interoperability and hinder integration with newer systems.

Regulatory and compliance requirements also add pressure, as organizations must maintain traceable, long-term access to critical records. In many cases, outdated ELNs must be decommissioned, requiring a reliable, scalable solution to preserve historical data while enabling future reuse.

How Merck & ZONTAL Address These Challenges

Merck & ZONTAL tackled these challenges by developing a vendor-neutral ELN archiving solution powered by the ASM format. This approach converts ELN data into a structured, searchable, and interoperable format, helping organizations preserve scientific records without dependence on the original ELN vendor.

Data from legacy ELNs is extracted and transformed into the ASM format, then stored in a centralized repository. The ASM format ensures long-term accessibility, traceability, and metadata-rich preservation. Users gain the ability to search, retrieve, and view ELN records through an intuitive interface, complete with full audit trails.

By enabling cross-platform standardization and integration with modern R&D environments, the solution also supports AI-driven insights and analytics.

Live Demonstration & Key Takeaways

During the live session, Spencer Gardiner showcased how ZONTAL’s ELN archive viewer supports intuitive access to archived ELN data. Users can easily search and retrieve historical records while preserving the full scientific context through metadata and traceability.

The demonstration emphasized several key capabilities: audit-ready compliance through preserved audit trails, AI compatibility via structured metadata, and the ability to make ELN data reusable across departments and platforms. The viewer simplifies access to critical legacy information, helping organizations enhance compliance and accelerate research.

The Future of ELN Data Archiving

As the industry shifts toward automated and interoperable digital ecosystems, the adoption of ASM format represents a significant advancement in ELN data preservation. This model supports FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles, empowering laboratories to retain, search, and reuse scientific knowledge long after ELNs have been retired.

By moving away from vendor lock-in and toward structured, standardized formats, organizations future-proof their scientific data and maintain readiness for regulatory scrutiny, legal inquiries, and advanced research applications. Merck and ZONTAL continue to lead this transformation, offering solutions that meet the evolving needs of digital science environments.

Watch the Full Session

To see these innovations in action, we invite you to watch the full presentation from the 2024 Allotrope Connect Workshop. Gain deeper insights into how Merck & ZONTAL are revolutionizing ELN data archiving with ASM format and see a live demonstration of the ELN archive viewer.