Sheril KirshenbaumNov 28, 2022

If you ever had a vaccine, injection or surgery, you’re indebted to the ancient & wondrous horseshoe crab.

Its blue blood contains Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) which clumps at contact with bacterial toxins. Animals are caught for their blood to test sterility of medical equipment & injections.

Unfortunately the harvest is unsustainable & populations are in decline. An effective synthetic substitute has been around for 2 decades & we just need the biomedical industry to switch. #SharedPlanet

Show threadMark MifsudNov 28, 2022

@Sheril

Sad 😞

Show threadSheril KirshenbaumNov 28, 2022
@MarkMifsud I agree. But we can do something about it by collectively asking the biomedical industry to use the synthetic alternative.
Show threadMark MifsudNov 28, 2022

@Sheril

I'm inclined to ask:
1) what's holding back the migration to the alternative?

2) What can be done about it?

Is it expensive, just to make money on a patent? Is it hard to manufacture? Is catching crabs just cheaper?

Show threadAlan VolnyNov 28, 2022

@MarkMifsud @Sheril

My understanding is that biomedical companies don't want to take ANY risk - horseshoe crab blood is known 100% to work, cannot be a legal liability, and is available. Biomed companies therefore just don't see any reason to switch.

Show threadLouis J. Mason (They/He 🏳️‍⚧️)
@AssortedFern @MarkMifsud @Sheril
But if it isn’t sustainable, they’re going to have to switch anyway. This is more about capitalism than anything else.
Nov 28, 2022 at 2:07pmMastodon for iOS