How one biotechnology research and development company protects its ideas and processes with security technology

May 1, 1998 12:00 PM, MICHAEL FICKES

The biotechnology research and development companies clustered in southern California live in fear of scientific error and industrial espionage.

Inside these companies, some of the best and brightest scientists in the world develop ideas that may eventually save millions of lives and earn billions of dollars. But a single process error or information leak can destroy years of work and cost lives and money, so the companies seek out the best access control, security alarm and process monitoring systems available.

Aurora Biosciences Corp. is one such company, which is why security was a top priority when the company moved its 200 contract and full-time employees from a secured floor in a multi-tenant research building into its own 80,000-square-foot, three-story facility.

Located in the Torrey Pines science park area of La Jolla, Calif., near the University of California San Diego campus, Aurora designs and develops proprietary systems, services and technologies that accelerate the discovery of new medicines. For example, the company is developing an ultra-high-throughput screening platform that integrates innovative fluorescence chemistry, molecular biology, miniaturization, automation and informatics. Aurora's scientists believe the company's integrated platform will shorten the time required to identify high-quality compounds that can be developed into drugs.

Integrating from the ground floor During the design and build-out of the facility, Lana Thurman, Aurora's associate director of purchasing and facilities, worked with SecurityLink from Ameritech, the security systems integrator subsidiary of Ameritech, to develop a security system capable of controlling access to the facility, protecting proprietary information through access control to the laboratories, and ensuring the integrity of the biotechnical processes being developed by Aurora.

Another system goal relates to liability protection. "We have laboratories involved in both molecular and cell biology," Thurman says. "Some of the laboratories may contain hazardous or toxic substances. We don't want a visitor or temporary employee to inadvertently walk into a dangerous environment."

System design began in the summer of 1997. Thurman's requirements included flexibility that would allow expanding the system as the company continues to grow. Thurman also wanted a system that would be easy to use and learn, given the fact that her background and that of her staff lies in facility management, not security technology.

SecurityLink recommended equipment manufactured by the Salinas, Calif.-based Radionics. "We chose Radionics because its equipment can integrate access control, security control and process control into a seamless system," says Lowell Ebert, sales manager with SecurityLink.

Access control At Aurora, installation of the access control system moved through three phases as the facility's build-out approached completion. "In the first phase, we added proximity access control to 16 doors, including two exterior entrances," Ebert says. "Today, we're up to 42 doors, including three exterior entrances. As the system grows, we add wiring, which varies from two-pair to six-pair in the raceways installed by the contractor around the building."

Access-controlled interior doors include those to stairwells, elevators and laboratories. Electric locking hardware, alarm contacts for all access points, and glass-break sensors for the windows are supplied by the general contractor handling the build-out.

Eleven Radionics ReadyKey K2100 four-door controllers accept alarm and access inputs from glass-break sensors and the 42 doors, which use K2001 proximity readers to check credentials. Speed of access was not an issue in choosing proximity technology. "Aurora asked for proximity access control readers to help reduce failures from card wear and abuse," Ebert says. "In addition, proximity sensors do not have swipe-reader insertion points that can be vandalized."

To gain access, an authorized individual must present his or her card to the reader. The system responds by way of a computer placed near the reader. The monitor displays the cardholder's name and asks for an access code, which can be typed on the keyboard. "To me, this is the best way to do it," Thurman says. "If you lose your card, no one can use it. If someone watches you type in your access code, it's of no use without the card."

Process control Alarm sensors in the system also monitor power and temperature in cold rooms, warm rooms, incubators and freezers throughout the facility. There are six warm and cold rooms where Aurora scientists conduct experiments under controlled environmental conditions. Two freezers store cells and other materials at temperatures ranging from -70 to -20 degrees Centigrade. About 50 incubators serve the facility's seven tissue culture laboratories.

The Aurora facility contains an autoclave room where glassware is washed and dried. A 500-gallon tank of de-ionized water supplies the washing process. "As the water is used, the system generates more," says Thurman. "If the tank should overflow, water could flow out into the corridors and into other rooms containing costly equipment. To prevent this, we have put a sump pump in the room and connected an alarm sensor. We have also put a water-level alarm on the de-ionized water tank and set it to go off when water levels are too high or too low."

Tying access control and process control alarms together A Radionics D9112B Control/ Communicator panel in the building's control room collects information from the door alarms, glass-break and process control sensors and sends the information to computers that monitor and control the system. The panel accepts up to 128 inputs, from access control, alarm and process control devices.

Four monitoring and control computers, equipped with Radionics' ReadyKey for Windows software, are located strategically throughout the building: in Thurman's office on the second floor; at a receptionist's area outside Thurman's office; in the control room on the second floor; and in a receiving area on the first floor. The first floor location was chosen for convenience. If the day staff or after-hours security officers happen to be on the first floor, they need not hustle up to the second floor for initial response to an alarm.

A fifth monitoring point lies outside the building at the SecurityLink offices, where the integrator's personnel back up the efforts of Aurora's after-hours security staff.

SecurityLink installers programmed the system by setting up a database of Aurora personnel and creating authorized access groups.

"During programming, we also created alarm screens for each of the process control, glass-break and door-contact sensors," Ebert says.

During the programming process, SecurityLink also tied the building's fire alarms into the system. The alarm screens provide plain English instructions understandable to whoever responds to the alarm. For example, if a CO2 tank important to cooling one of the freezers runs out, the system will go into alarm mode and flash an instruction screen saying: "Room number X. CO2 Alarm."

"When I see a screen like that, I know immediately where to go and what to do," Thurman says. "I don't have to stop and call anyone. I can just go and take care of it. Afterwards, I can reset the alarm and call SecurityLink to let them know the problem has been handled. It's a very easy system to use."

Enrolling and activating new access cards is easy as well. Thurman simply presents the new card to an enrollment reader in the control room, enters the name of the user, and specifies the authorized level of access. "With our last system, we had to program each card with specific doors for each user," Thurman says. "This is much easier."

The system also accommodates special access control needs that periodically arise throughout the building. For example, robotics test equipment in one of the building's clean rooms can produce erroneous results if the airflow or particle count changes while the system operates. "We use the system to restrict access to that room during times when the system is running tests," Thurman says. "In addition, if the door is held open by someone authorized to enter, an alarm will go off."

One of Thurman's favorite features is the system's reporting capabilities. "The system in our old facility kept a chronological log of who entered what door, but it couldn't create reports on who went into which room at what time," she says. "To get that information, we had to read through the chronological log. With this system, we can ask for a report and identify who entered that room at that time. That's not only useful in terms of security, but it also helps us document our processes."

During a robotics test, for example, Thurman can create a report showing that the door opened so many times or did not open at all during the test. She can also document what alarm conditions, if any, occurred during the test and how they were handled. "We can add those reports to the scientific log notebooks documenting the integrity of a process," she says.

The system not only protects Aurora's proprietary information and scientific processes, but also provides a management tool that can enhance the quality of the final product.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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