Horseshoe crab use in securing public health: challenges and alternatives (360G-Wellcome-218323_Z_19_Z)

This project will develop understanding of the use of horseshoe crabs in endotoxin testing as a complex scientific and societal issue, situated at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health. Bacterial endotoxins pose a serious public health concern, causing fever, inflammation, and death, meaning testing for endotoxins is vital for the safe production and use of injectable medicines and vaccines. Endotoxin testing currently uses blood harvested from wild horseshoe crabs in the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) test. However, there are increasing concerns around the impact of capturing and bleeding ~500,000 crabs annually on animal welfare, coastal ecologies, and the sustainability of pharmaceutical supply. A synthetic substitute has been available since 2003, but uptake is slow, and there are many uncertainties and views on the future of endotoxin testing. This project has been developed with the RSPCA. It will use social science methods to engage key stakeholders and understand their differing interests and perspectives on the biomedical, sustainability, animal welfare, commercial, and ecological risks around future horseshoe crab use. Goals are to use social science to understand the challenges to developing and embedding alternatives, and support dialogue around a currently invisible issue through stakeholder report, academic articles, and public-facing poster.