Start / Smart Biotech Scientist | Master Bioprocess CMC Development, Biologics Manufacturing & Scale-up, Cell Culture Innovation / 157 how to detect endotoxins without bleeding a single horseshoe crab with anika hoffmann part 1

Smart Biotech Scientist | Master Bioprocess CMC Development, Biologics Manufacturing & Scale-up, Cell Culture Innovation

157: How to Detect Endotoxins Without Bleeding a Single Horseshoe Crab with Anika Hoffmann - Part 1

23 min • 27 maj 2025

In biopharmaceutical manufacturing, endotoxins represent a silent but deadly threat – bacterial fragments capable of triggering severe immune responses at picogram levels, potentially leading to septic shock, organ failure, or even death in patients.

In this eye-opening first episode, we speak with Anika Hoffmann, a postdoctoral researcher in analytical chemistry at HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Switzerland, who's challenging the decades-old status quo of endotoxin testing. For nearly 50 years, the industry has relied on horseshoe crab blood (LAL assay) despite its significant limitations and sustainability concerns.

Anika reveals the troubling truth about traditional testing methods:

The LAL reliability problem: With acceptable recovery rates ranging from 50-200% and high variability, can we truly trust our current methods?
The "low endotoxin recovery" phenomenon: How common pharmaceutical ingredients can mask dangerous endotoxins, creating false negatives
The horseshoe crab sustainability crisis: Rising testing demand threatens declining horseshoe crab populations

Most importantly, Anika introduces her groundbreaking alternative: a chemical analytical method targeting KDO, a unique sugar molecule present in all endotoxins. This approach eliminates reliance on enzymes or animal products while providing more consistent results across different pharmaceutical formulations.

With regulatory limits as strict as 0.25 EU/mL for water for injection, reliable detection isn't just a quality issue – it's a patient safety imperative. If you're developing biologics, managing bioprocess quality, or navigating regulatory compliance, this episode reveals why rethinking endotoxin testing could be your most important decision.

Listen to Part 1 to discover why smarter endotoxin testing is possible without relying on horseshoe crab blood, and stay tuned for Part 2 where we'll explore the practical implementation of this revolutionary approach.

Connect with Anika Hoffmann:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anika-hoffmann-652ab0196/

Email: anika.hoffmann@hevs.ch

Next step:

Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocessing analytics: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call

Develop bioprocessing technologies better, faster, at a fraction of the cost with our 1:1 Strategy Call: The quickest and easiest way to excel biotech technology development. Book your call at www.bruehlmann-consulting.com/call/

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