Introducing the 3rd Generation ELN:
Sapio ELaiN

The best ELN is the one that supports your science without getting in the way. For some teams, that means flexible experiment templates and collaboration features. For others, it means tighter integration with data systems, easier compliance, or the ability to work across both biology and chemistry workflows.

Many ELNs today still operate in isolation—separate from LIMS, instruments, or analytics tools. This often leads to duplicated work, inconsistent data, and lost context. What sets newer platforms apart is how well they unify data, automate routine steps, and support real-time collaboration between scientists.

Sapio’s ELN is part of a broader platform that combines experiment design, workflow automation, and sample tracking in one place. It’s built to handle complex R&D and clinical workflows, from antibody discovery to sequencing to stability studies, with native support for multimodal data and built-in scientific analytics. There’s no need to export files or switch tools just to ask a question of your data or run an analysis.

For a side-by-side look at how leading ELN vendors compare—and what to consider when choosing the right solution for your lab—see our Best ELN Software of 2025 blog.

An electronic lab notebook (ELN) is a digital tool that aids scientists in securely recording and organizing their experimental data, observations, and research notes. ELNs encourage collaboration, as well as enhance data integrity and accessibility, making it a preferred choice over traditional paper notebooks for modern research. Learn more in our comprehensive guide: What is an Electronic Lab Notebook?

Many labs pair ELNs with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) to handle structured sample, test, and workflow data. For labs seeking a fully integrated approach, Sapio’s best LIMS 2025 offers seamless interoperability with our ELN—supporting end-to-end lab informatics on a single platform.

Electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) are used by a diverse group of professionals, including scientists in academia, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, chemists, biologists, clinical researchers, environmental scientists, material scientists, engineers, and quality control teams.

Their flexibility and efficiency make them essential for data management, collaboration, and regulatory compliance across a wide range of scientific and research disciplines.

Many view the electronic lab notebook as a pane of glass, a more visual and sophisticated form of the paper notebook. But this definition assumes the ELN is still a passive tool and not an active one. Conversely, a differentiated ELN will not just standardize and digitize traditional lab notes, it will open new possibilities by harmonizing the notebook function with powerful science-aware™ capabilities.

For example, imagine an electronic lab notebook that could support embedded, editable data visualizations, or allow you to design scientific entities that can subsequently be used across all your experiments at scale? Consider a world in which all your scientific observations are highly searchable—with science-aware™ linkages that help you find and use precisely the data you are looking for. Layer on top rich scientific collaboration tools and an integrated platform for LIMS and data management, and you have so much more than a digital version of the lab notebook.

Beyond sheer capability, the ELN is also highly differentiated by its interface. Does it work the way the scientist thinks? If the answer is no, adoption will continue to be an uphill battle. If the answer is yes, then adoption will be unanimous.

Many assert that poor ELN adoption is a byproduct of change-resistant scientists—but this is not the case. Poor ELN adoption is much more the byproduct of poor solutions that either don’t work the way scientists do or fail to provide the enhanced utility needed to justify a change in approach.

Scientists are about anything that accelerates scientific progress. When the ELN becomes a powerful enabler of faster discovery, more effective analysis, and richer scientific collaboration, it will be used by scientists everywhere. In fact, the Sapio ELN is enthusiastically embraced by scientific teams, who recognize its ability to simultaneously simplify and supercharge their daily work.

The biggest thing an ELN needs to provide for scientists to use it is an interface that works the way they do. If a scientist is used to composing experiments in a certain way, for example, the ELN should enable them to do so—only easier and more simply than ever before.

An ELN should also be so much more than a pretty (inter)face. It should provide scientists a variety of Science-aware™ tools that enable them to not only digitize, but enhance, experiments. Take our 3D plater, for example, which enables scientists to assemble plates with automation-enhanced ease. Or our experiment builder, which allows scientists to define and reuse experiments using drag-and-drop. Or our scientific collaboration tools, which allow scientists to rally around their work in a way that a paper notebook never could.

When an ELN provides all these things, scientists will not only use it—they will embrace it wholeheartedly and never look back.

The laboratory notebook is home to a wealth of scientific data, including experimental data points, observations, instrument data, scientific objects, and more. Unfortunately, the traditional lab notebook, and even many electronic lab notebooks, fail to bridge the gap between storing this data and making it usable in more meaningful ways to drive scientific progress throughout the organization.

At Sapio, we recognize that the ELN and the LIMS are inseparable from scientific data management. The data from these solutions must be easy to search, reuse, standardize, analyze, and utilize throughout the organization. Most importantly, these functions should not require scientists to exit the lab informatics platform and outsource scientific data intelligence to another (often non-scientific) solution. Everything should be done in one place—where the data is and where the scientists are.

Learn more about lab data management in our comprehensive guide.

Sapio Sciences’ lab informatics solutions are trusted by some of the world’s largest and fastest growing pharma and biotech companies. Sapio’s technology is backed by deep expertise in the creation of user-friendly applications and an unwavering focus on the priorities and requirements of the scientific user.

Our customers consider Sapio a dedicated partner, and we are committed to transparency and truthfulness in all that we do. Visit our company page to learn more about The Sapio Seven—seven principles that are foundational to our mission and products.

The cost of ELN software varies widely, ranging from free or low-cost options with limited functionality to more expensive solutions, depending on features and scale. It’s crucial to evaluate different ELN notebook options to find one that fits your budget and requirements.

Explore the various ELN options available in our blog: The Different Types of Electronic Lab Notebook

We offer several editions of our platform that can be tailored to each customer’s level of requirements. Check out our pricing page to learn more about pricing and features for our Gold, Silver, and Bronze editions (our Bronze ELN is free for academics).

Our commitment to lowering the barriers to adoption starts during implementation. Our lab informatics platform, including ELN, LIMS, and Scientific Data Cloud, are fully cloud-based and require nothing more than a modern web browser. Simply sign up and get started. Are you an academic? You can register to use our Sapio Bronze edition for free.

Our commitment to lowering the barriers to adoption starts during implementation. Our lab informatics platform, including ELN, LIMS, and Scientific Data Cloud, are fully cloud-based and require nothing more than a modern web browser. Simply sign up and get started. Are you an academic? You can register to use our Sapio Bronze edition for free.

Sapio’s digital lab notebook is so easy to use and frictionless to adopt, that many scientists find they do not need any training at all.

For customers that are looking for a little extra support, we provide free access to our support forum and helpful resource library. In addition, our resource library provides useful information about ELN and LIMS software and offers customers access to whitepapers and additional support.

Beyond our forum and resource library, the entire Sapio team is dedicated to supporting our customers in meeting their lab informatics-related objectives now and in the future. We consider ourselves true partners and are proud of the level of support

Are you a Sapio Sciences customer and have a question? You can reach our sales and customer support team via email or call us at (410) 800-4620.

The Sapio ELN is so easy to use and frictionless to adopt, that many scientists find they do not need any training at all.

For customers that are looking for a little extra support, we provide free access to our support forum and helpful resource library. In addition, our resource library provides useful information about ELN and LIMS software and offers customers access to whitepapers and additional support.

Beyond our forum and resource library, the entire Sapio team is dedicated to supporting our customers in meeting their lab informatics-related objectives now and in the future. We consider ourselves true partners and are proud of the level of support

Are you a Sapio Sciences customer and have a question? You can reach our sales and customer support team via email or call us at (410) 800-4620.

An AI Lab Notebook (AILN) goes beyond documenting experiments. Unlike traditional ELNs that passively store information, an AILN like Sapio ELaiN actively collaborates with scientists. It understands natural language prompts, retrieves and analyzes data, designs experiments, and ensures compliance—all in one workspace. In short, it acts as a co-scientist, not just a digital filing cabinet.

Agentic AI means the AI isn’t limited to language—it can take actions. In the lab, this means ELaiN doesn’t just generate text or suggestions; it can call scientific algorithms, launch docking jobs, build experiments from SOPs, or retrieve prior results across systems. By being “agentic,” ELaiN knows how to use tools, data, and workflows—just like a scientist would—making it practically useful, not just conversational.

A prompt-driven AILN lets scientists simply type or speak what they want: “Design a study from this SOP” or “Find all my samples with Sciex results above 400.” ELaiN interprets the request, builds the workflow, and executes it. This eliminates the steep learning curve of software click-paths, enabling immediate productivity—even for new users—while still giving experts full transparency and control.