The latest Business updates from the science industry
by Heather Hobbs
Cultivating sustainability: Over 3,000 cacti promote green laboratory practices
In the latest Sustainability Weeks organised by Starlab, over 3,000 cacti have found a home in TipOne racks, serving as a visual reminder for laboratory scientists to prioritise sustainability in their research practices. The initiative, which included around 85 events, attracted participation from more than 3,500 individuals, emphasising the growing importance of integrating sustainability in laboratory settings. Klaus Ambos, Managing Director of Starlab International GmbH, highlighted the success of the events and the need to address sustainability challenges in laboratories.
Acknowledging the signifi cant environmental impact of the scientifi c community, particularly in plastic waste generation, A study by the University of Exeter revealed that life scientists alone contribute around 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, equating to around 2% of plastic waste produced worldwide. Klaus Ambos said: “Fortunately, we are seeing increasing awareness of sustainable laboratory practices. Scientists conducting research in the life sciences are unintentionally harming the planet and its inhabitants – the very things they are trying to improve and protect. We must utilise all the options available to us to change this.”
Starlab’s approach goes beyond presenting sustainable practices; it actively involves participants by providing free plants for planting in empty TipOne racks, symbolising responsible resource use. Additionally, participants receive EcolutionMovement stickers to display in their laboratories, serving as daily reminders to conserve energy and protect the environment. “We have compiled a package of measures as part of the EcolutionMovement that pools all internal and external activities associated with the complex issue of sustainability. Our goal is to encourage both our employees and laboratory staff to adopt a more sustainable approach,” said Ambos.
This is the laboratory product manufacturer’s fi fth series of sustainability events. “We are continuing our mission to develop innovative products and promote awareness of environmentally friendly research practices,” added Klaus Ambos.
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/1AB1 61627pr@reply-direct.com
Starlab provided visitors with free plants to be planted in empty TipOne racks and EcolutionMovement stickers to symbolise the importance of responsible resource use.
Pediatric leukemia diagnostics software set for evaluation
Precision cancer diagnostics software developer Qlucore has initiated a performance evaluation study in Sweden and Denmark as a signifi cant and crucial step towards obtaining a CE marked solution, with results from the study expected early in 2024.
The specifi c cancer to be tested in the study is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) which continues to have high mortality rates and treatment-related complications.
IVDR regulations for medical devices require products to be CE marked prior to use in healthcare diagnostics. Once the ongoing performance evaluation study is completed, Qlucore will be required to compile a study report and create a technical fi le that will be submitted to a Notifi ed Body. BSI (British Standards Institute) has been contracted as the Notifi ed Body and they will conduct the formal review regarding the product’s safety and performance.
The intended use of the company’s software in the study is to qualitatively analyse genetic alterations that may cause the disease condition BCP-ALL, based on gene activity levels and the identifi cation of gene fusions. Classifi cation into genetic subgroups
is performed using a machine learning-based classifi er, which presents a probability of the patient belonging to one of six defi ned subgroups*.
“Entering this next phase of CE marking is a signifi cant and important step for us,” says Carl-Johan Ivarsson, CEO of Qlucore. “It indicates that our solution has reached a high level of maturity and it is time to transition from internal testing to evaluation in a clinical setting. We look forward to the results that will determine the performance we can communicate.”
Intended customers are clinical laboratories in Europe and exact usage will be determined in conjunction with regulatory approval.
*This is a simplifi ed description of the intended use of the product. The exact form of use will be determined in connection with the regulatory approval, the company said.
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/G7lY 61755pr@reply-direct.com
Carl-Johan Ivarsson
CDMO drives sustainability strategy forward
Global CDMO Vetter has joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) membership group, which aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, thus representing the strictest climate protection targets for companies worldwide. Now committed to the 1.5 degrees of global warming target, the CDMO has presented a sustainability strategy with concrete steps to take through 2030, in which the
effects of the planned dynamic growth related to CO2 emissions are already factored in. With the commissioning of the new photovoltaic plant and the conversion of another existing combined heat and power plant to biogas, both at its Ravensburg Center for Visual Inspection and Logistics, the company has already taken important steps towards Net Zero in 2023.
Henryk Badack, Senior Vice President Technical Service and Internal Project Management, responsible for the company’s global sustainability activities said: “Many measures that other companies are only now implementing, such as 100% green electricity, are already part of our daily routine. We invest continuously to make energy-intensive production processes more effi cient and to gradually switch to climate-friendly forms of energy. Joining the SBTi is therefore the logical next step for us: we are making it even more transparent for our customers and partners that we want to achieve Net Zero and how we intend to do it.”
By joining the SBTi, the company is also taking the added step of implementing uniform monitoring and reporting standards
for CO2-relevant processes according to the specifi cations of the international Green House Gas (GHG) Protocol. In its current
sustainability report, Vetter has already recorded part of its Scope
3 emissions and reported the CO2 balance according to the GHG protocol. “By joining SBTi, we commit ourselves to annual reporting and their validation. In this way, we make our measures to reduce our carbon footprint even more transparent and traceable while contributing to fully sustainable supply chains,” added Mr Badack.
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/XOvV 61877pr@reply-direct.com
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