The link between horseshoe crabs and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing is an important subject today in the biomedical industry - an industry that is prioritizing sustainability while also ensuring safety and quality of products for patients. The blood from horseshoe crabs contains factors that are used to manufacture limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), a reagent that can test whether drug products or medical devices have been contaminated with bacterial endotoxin. Through a series of cascade reactions, the crab's blood factors have a clotting mechanism in place to detect any introduction of bacterial harm. This testing is critical to detect dangerous - and potentially deadly contaminants - but it puts pressure on horseshoe crabs and their desired blood.
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