Lonza Announces Second Global Endotoxin Testing Summit – and Another Opportunity to “Flip” Crabs

Lonza will host its next Global Endotoxin Testing Summit on 23-25 May 2016 in Annapolis, MD (USA) and Pickering Beach, DE (USA). Organized by one of the world’s leading suppliers of endotoxin detection products, this second conference will build on the success of the inaugural Global Endotoxin Testing Summit held in June 2015.

Keeping with the format of the first meeting, the 2016 summit will feature a respected and diverse panel of speakers comprising end-users, vendors and regulatory representatives, who will discuss significant issues affecting the endotoxin detection community. Topics will include low endotoxin recovery (LER), regulatory guidance updates, alternative methods like the monocyte activation test (MAT) and recombinant Factor C and other concerns. It will also include another visit to the Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary Beach.

“We received great feedback from attendees of the summit last spring, not just about the relevance of the topics discussed, but also about the horseshoe crab experience and the relaxed atmosphere of the meeting,” said Katrin Hoeck, Lonza’s Head of Marketing for Analysis & Testing. “This reinforced our belief that the summit should continue to serve the community by bridging the gap between end-users, vendors and regulatory personnel. We’re looking forward to next year’s event and would encourage interested parties to register early to ensure they secure their space.”

One of the more unusual features of the Global Endotoxin Testing Summit is the opportunity for attendees to explore the natural habitat of the Atlantic horseshoe crab – one of four species of horseshoe crab so critical to this industry. Previous summit attendees visited a Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary Beach during the peak of spawning season to save and “flip” crabs that were stranded on shore as part of a collaboration with the Ecological Research and Development Group (ERDG) and its Just Flip ’em!® program.

Glenn Gauvry, founder of ERDG, shared his excitement and appreciation at having such a large group come out to learn more about horseshoe crabs: “The community here in Pickering Beach really welcomes the sight of so many individuals coming out to help preserve the ecological jewel in our backyards. People were spread out over the entire beach from north to south, and no stranded horseshoe crabs were left unattended.”

Image © Lonza/Michel Leroy