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There are researchers in the United States who work tirelessly to obtain a coronavirus vaccine on the market, with the Moderna biotechnology company published inStart human tests on its vaccine As of July. However, there is a surprising issue of the supply chain that could produce sufficient quantities of the coronavirus vaccine a problem: a lack of horse crab blood.

"Horseshoe crab has been used to make pharmaceuticals, including vaccines, public safe," says the scientific doctorWilliam Li, MD, President of the Foundation of Angiogenesis. Li explains that the immune system of horse crab is extremely sensitive to a bacterial toxin called endotoxin, so that the vaccine manufacturers test treatments using horse crab blood before going on the market so that their products are free.

"These security tests are essential for a vaccine that can be granted to billions of people around the world," said Li.

According to a report of 2020 June inThe New York Times,This type of test designed critics Both wildlife defenders and drug manufacturers, pushing some to pressure for a controversial ingredient-free test. However, according to a declaration published by the American pharmacopoeia, aNon-profit organization that determines quality standards for medicineFood supplements and ingredients, the most promising alternative to horse crab tests, called recombinant factor C (RFC), does not have official standardization guidelines to use. In other words, while the RFC test can be an encouraging alternative, there are still obstacles between computing and use in human subjects.

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And while several companies that create a lar-outdient derived from the blood crab of horse crab necessary for pharmaceutical tests - insuredTimes That the global supply of crab blood was sufficient to meet demand, ecologists say differently. According to the Institute of Wetlands, theHorse crab population in Delaware Bay decreased by 90% over the last 15 years only. However, according to a 2018 study published inMarine science boundaries, theNumber of horse crabs delivered to medical bleeding facilities Between 2004 and 2012 increased by 78%.

In light of a viable alternative, however, this could mean that the supplies of the coronavirus vaccine will not be as abundant as necessary. "Doing enough coronavirus vaccine will be difficult, but getting a vaccine to the billions of people who need them around the world will be a gargantuan and historical task," said Li. And if you want to separate the fact of the fiction, Check these5 dangerous myths on the coronavirus vaccine you have to stop believing.