Highlights
- Blue blooded horseshoe crab on the verge of extinction
- Vaccines and medicines are being made from its blood.
- Scientists are also testing to make corona vaccine
A sea creature is on the verge of extinction due to scientists working to find the world’s most effective corona virus vaccine. This is the only organism on whose blood pharmaceutical companies are spending crores of rupees. The great thing is that the blood of this creature is bright blue instead of red like us and other creatures. The blood of this creature is so rare that it costs around Rs 11 lakh per liter in the market. Scientists are already making vaccines, medicines and sterile liquids from the blood of this organism.
Horseshoe crab on the verge of extinction
The name of this creature is Horseshoe Crab. These crabs have been present on the earth for about 450 million years. The creatures, which could not be destroyed by the Ice Age and changes in the oceans, are now on the verge of extinction due to humans. Their blue blood contains immune cells known as Limulus polyphemus (LAL).
Immune cells in horseshoe crab blood
These immune cells are quite sensitive to toxic bacteria. In such a situation, scientists have been using the blue blood of horseshoe crab to make vaccines and medicines against poisonous bacteria for at least 20 years. Scientists currently searching for an effective corona virus vaccine are using the blood of this organism in their tests.
Scientists take them out of the sea for blood
Scientists take out horseshoe crabs for blue blood and then release them into the ocean. More than 30 percent of the crabs die during this process. A lab in South Carolina, USA, said that these crabs are kept out of the water for at least eight minutes to extract blood. Scientist Kevin Williams told The Washington Post that we rely entirely on the endangered horseshoe crab for drug endotoxin testing.
The Asian Horseshoe Crab Is Already Extinct
Scientists working on conservation of marine life fear that the Atlantic horseshoe crab may soon become extinct in the same way as the Asian horseshoe crab. The Asian Horseshoe Crab is now extinct from Taiwan and now Hong Kong due to biomedical tests. While the American Horseshoe Crab is also now on the verge of being included in the list of danger.
Scientists extract blood from horseshoe crab
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