Scholars Award: The Political and Material Ecology of Horseshoe Crabs in the Biomedical Industry

This project addresses a vital part of the U.S. public health infrastructure: lysate from horseshoe crab blood. Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (lysate or LAL) is derived from the blood of horseshoe crabs, and is the only method approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to detect the presence of endotoxins in pharmaceuticals, surgical tools, implants, and vaccines.

By following the production of lysate from horseshoe crab harvesting through bleeding labs, pharmaceutical facilities, and regulatory bodies like the FDA and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), this project will scrutinize the intricacies of natural resource conservation, regulation of the biomedical industry, and the relationships between ecological and medical science. At stake in the debate over horseshoe crab fisheries are the ethics of environmental governance, protection of human health, and advancement of scientific knowledge.

As this research is being done at an institute of higher education, additional benefits of the project include direct input into environmental regulatory processes, enhancement of educational opportunities for students – including those in under-served communities – in environmental studies, and dissemination of research products to both academic and general audiences.

This project is a multi-sited, mixed-method study of the biomedical use of Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus). A derivative of horseshoe crab blood -- Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL or Lysate) – is used to test endotoxins in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. This project will focus on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC or Commission) attempts to regulate the extraction and circulation of horseshoe crab blood as well as industry attempts to reduce mortality rates while continuing to harvest blood for LAL testing.

Through historical research, semi-structured interviews, and site visits, this project analyzes the complex political ecologies of a natural resource vital to human economies, coastal ecosystems, and public health. This project asks: how do these marine organisms and their biomaterials circulate within and through different epistemological, legal, industrial, and bio-ecological pathways, and with what ramifications?

Understanding the intricacies of horseshoe crab conservation, public health regulation, and biomedical knowledge generation is not only relevant to the scientific and regulatory communities involved, but will be of intense interest to environmental humanities and science studies scholars. A number of broader impacts are envisioned for this study, including undergraduate course enrichment, the opportunity to mentor students with related research interests, and ongoing work with underserved communities like the large Deaf/Hard of Hearing student population at RIT.

It will be of interest to environmental studies and science studies scholars, as well as stakeholders in the horseshoe crab industry and policy makers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.