Life sciences and labs
PDF tools and e-signatures for labs, biotech and pharma teams
File certificates of analysis with each batch, compare SOP revisions, archive study documents as PDF/A and get confidentiality agreements signed. Server jobs run in London and files are deleted within 2 hours.
Try Business free for 30 daysSee how signing works
£6.99 per user a month, billed yearly · from 2 users
What lab teams use it for
Built for the paperwork around the science
Certificates of analysis with each batch
Scan certificates of analysis as materials arrive and merge them with the receiving paperwork, so each batch has one file. Auditors and customers can then find the right certificate quickly.
SOP revisions compared
Convert the new SOP from Word and compare it with the current version, so reviewers see exactly what changed. Comments can be added on the comparison for the author.
Old notebooks and records searchable
Scan paper notebooks and printed records with your phone and recognise the text, so a sample ID or a date can be found in seconds. Pages are straightened and cleaned up as they are scanned.
Study documents as PDF/A
Convert final reports and protocols to PDF/A, the archive format designed to open the same way in years to come. Fonts are embedded and nothing depends on outside content.
Confidentiality and collaboration agreements
Send confidentiality and collaboration agreements for signature, and stamp shared drafts with a confidential watermark. Collaborators sign without an account, in the order you choose.
Participant data redacted
Redact names and identifiers from documents before they go to a collaborator, and strip hidden metadata from the file. Redaction removes the text underneath rather than covering it, and runs in your browser.
Where Macaaw fits in a lab
Labs and life sciences companies produce documents alongside every experiment: certificates, SOPs, reports, agreements and old paper records. Macaaw makes them faster to compare, archive and share. It suits research labs, biotech start-ups, contract research organisations and the business teams around them.
Macaaw is not a validated system for regulated records, and its signatures are not designed to meet GxP electronic records requirements. Use it for the documents around regulated work, and keep controlled records and approvals in your quality system.
Redaction and merging run in your browser, so documents never leave your computer. Comparison, text recognition and PDF/A conversion run on our servers in London and are deleted within 2 hours. Business workspaces can make sensitive tools browser-only and keep an audit log for a year. Confidentiality agreements sent for signature are kept encrypted until everyone has signed and then for 30 days.
Playbook
An SOP revision review in four steps
Reviewers see the changes, not the whole document again.
Convert the draft
Convert the revised SOP from Word to PDF.
Compare
Compare it with the current version to highlight every change. Reviewers then read only the changes.
Annotate
Add questions and comments for the author on the comparison.
Archive the final
When it is approved in your quality system, convert the final version to PDF/A for the archive. Keep the archive copy in your own document system.
Business plan
One plan for the whole team
Lab, quality and business development on one plan, with allowances pooled.
£6.99per user a month, billed yearly · or £9.99 monthly
- 200 signature requests per user a month, pooled
- Up to 20 signers on each document
- 1,000 pages of text recognition per user a month, pooled
- 500 Office conversions per user a month, pooled
- Files up to 500 MB and 200 files in one task
- Members, roles, shared workflows and central billing
- UK serversServer tools run in London.
- Deleted within 2 hoursFiles from our tools, or the moment you press Delete.
- UK GDPRA data processing agreement on Business.
- Audit trailEvery signed PDF carries its signing certificate.
Questions
Lab teams ask
Can we use Macaaw signatures for GxP records?
No. Macaaw is not a validated system and its signatures are not designed for GxP electronic records. Use your quality system for those.
Can we compare two versions of an SOP?
Yes. Compare PDFs highlights text and layout changes page by page. It is included in Pro and Business.
What is PDF/A?
PDF/A is the archive version of PDF: fonts are embedded and nothing depends on outside content, so the file opens the same way later.
Where are files processed?
Browser tools never upload files. Server tools run in London and delete files within 2 hours, and Business can limit sensitive work to browser tools.
Can collaborators sign a confidentiality agreement without an account?
Yes. They open the link in the email and sign on any device.
Can we scan old lab notebooks?
Yes. Macaaw Scan finds the page edges and straightens each page, and text recognition makes printed text searchable. Handwriting can be read on our servers after you agree to send the page; check the result, as handwriting is harder to read than print.
Legal information on this page is general guidance for England and Wales, not legal advice. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, and deeds or documents that must be witnessed need extra formalities.
Less paperwork between you and the bench.
Try Business free for 30 days with your whole team.