NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[hyperopia]

No Doc, not Eden related. Fun fact though; blue horseshoe crab blood (which is blue/green) contains a unique clotting agent (it coagulates around and encases gram-negative bacteria, which produce harmful endotoxins) that is used to make an important test reagent, Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL). LAL has been used to detect endotoxins in vaccines, injectable medicines, and medical devices for decades.

Charles River Labs is one of the few companies that has a license to harvest blue horseshoe crabs from US public waters to produce LAL, which is a huge competitive advantage, so they have been reluctant to develop or change to a more eco-friendly test, despite greatly declining horseshoe crab populations, (most die from having their blood drained) and lawsuits from environmental groups.

Supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, along with vastly increased covid-vaccine testing, has forced Charles River to begin using alternative testing methods, [recombinant factor C (rFC)] which was developed a decade ago by a competitor, Lonza.