New Cancer Blood Test + Bayer Commits to All Green Packaging by 2030 – Xtalks Life Science Podcast Ep. 43

In this episode, Ayesha discussed a new blood test developed by researchers at the University of Oxford that can identify cancers and even detect if they’ve metastasized. The test is based on measuring metabolites produced by tumor cells in blood samples using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The researchers found that the test could identify cancer among healthy people, those with localized cancer and individuals with cancer that has metastasized. The test could help detect cancers even before the use of conventional imaging-based methods.

The editorial team also discussed Bayer’s announcement of its commitment to 100 percent green packaging for its consumer products by 2030. The target is part of the company’s sustainability program, which includes shifting to renewable energy sources and sustainably sourcing recyclable and reusable paper materials. Bayer’s most popular consumer products like Aspirin, Aleve and Claritin will all have green packaging by the target year, which will also include recycling information that is consumer friendly. Other pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca, GSK and Biogen also have similar sustainability programs, reflecting the growing awareness of the pharmaceutical industry’s large carbon footprint and the importance of efforts to reduce it.