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

学者奖：生物医药产业中鲎的政治与物质生态

• 批准号: 2121146
• 负责人: Kristoffer Whitney
• 金额: $ 12.02万
• 依托单位: Rochester Institute of Tech
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2121146&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Scholars; Award; Political; Material; Ecology

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.

该项目解决了美国公共卫生基础设施的一个重要部分：从马蹄蟹血中提取裂解物。该试剂是从马蹄蟹的血液中提取的，是美国食品和药物管理局(FDA)批准的唯一一种检测药品、手术工具、植入物和疫苗中是否存在内毒素的方法。这个项目通过出血实验室、制药设施以及FDA和大西洋国家海洋渔业委员会(ASMFC)等监管机构跟踪马蹄蟹收获的裂解物的生产，将仔细审查自然资源保护的复杂性、生物医药行业的监管以及生态和医学之间的关系。在关于马蹄蟹渔业的辩论中，涉及到环境治理、保护人类健康和促进科学知识的伦理问题。由于这项研究是在一所高等教育机构进行的，该项目的其他好处包括对环境监管进程的直接投入，增加学生--包括那些在服务不足的社区的学生--在环境研究方面的教育机会，以及向学术和普通受众传播研究产品。马蹄蟹血的一种衍生品--凝胶变形细胞裂解物(LAL或Lysate)--用于生物制药行业的内毒素检测。该项目将侧重于大西洋国家海洋渔业委员会(ASMFC或委员会)试图管制马蹄蟹血液的提取和循环，以及业界在继续采集血液进行LAL检测的同时降低死亡率的尝试。通过历史研究、半结构化访谈和实地考察，该项目分析了对人类经济、沿海生态系统和公共健康至关重要的自然资源的复杂政治生态。这个项目的问题是：这些海洋生物及其生物材料如何在不同的认识论、法律、工业和生物生态途径内和通过不同的认识论、法律、工业和生物生态途径流通，并产生什么后果？了解马蹄蟹保护、公共卫生监管和生物医学知识生成的复杂性不仅与所涉及的科学和监管社区有关，而且将引起环境人文和科学研究学者的浓厚兴趣。这项研究预计会产生一些更广泛的影响，包括充实本科课程，有机会指导有相关研究兴趣的学生，以及与服务不足的社区进行持续的工作，如RIT的大量聋人/重听学生群体。它将引起环境研究和科学研究学者以及马蹄蟹行业和政策制定者的兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。