Lonza is committed to protecting the horseshoe crab through adopting best practices and actively supporting conservation efforts.
- Our Global Endotoxin Summit includes travel to a horseshoe crab sanctuary beach where attendees help save horseshoe crabs that have been stranded as a result of spawning activities, supporting ERDG’s Just flip em® Program.
- Lonza does not sell the horseshoe crabs that we use for biomedical purposes after bleeding; they are returned alive to the same waters from which they were taken.
- A senior member of our staff sits on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Technical Committee for the horseshoe crab and is also the biomedical industry representative on the joint team of the ASMFC and the Shorebirds Commission. Both groups are active in promoting the preservation of the horseshoe crab.
- Annually, we donate funds and products to support educational programs about the horseshoe crab and also help coastal communities save the breeding and nursery grounds for the horseshoe crabs.
Our commercially available PyroGeneTM rFC Assay uses a recombinant form of the horseshoe crab Factor C to detect endotoxin. The PyroGeneTM Assay does not use horseshoe crab blood as the raw material, therefore, there is less dependence on the animal, which results in less animal utilization. The use of an alternative method reduces the demand on a natural resource and can help meet supply chain sustainability initiatives
We strive to protect the future generations of the horseshoe crab through our commitment to employ the best practices when handling horseshoe crabs used in the manufacture of LAL, and through our continued sponsorship of ERDG’s conservation projects. For more information about horseshoe crabs, visit ERDG’s Facebook page.