Lonza’s Global Subject Matter Expert for Endotoxin Detection Appointed Chair of ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Advisory Panel

Lonza announced the appointment of Allen Burgenson, Global Subject Matter Expert for Endotoxin Detection at Lonza, as Chair of the Horseshoe Crab Advisory Panel of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

Burgenson was elected by his peers to this esteemed position on 26 September 2018 in recognition of more than 35 years of experience in the biomedical use of horseshoe crabs. The appointment also follows Burgenson’s 10-year long service as a member of the Horseshoe Crab Advisory Panel – a position he was previously appointed to by the Governor’s Office of Maryland.

The blood of horseshoe crabs is vital to the health and safety of humans as it is used in bacterial endotoxin testing workflows to help verify the microbial purity of vaccines, injectable drugs and medical devices. Natural perils and human activity increasingly threaten the viability of global horseshoe crab populations, which calls for sustainable collection approaches for LAL production and acceptance of recombinant technologies for endotoxin detection to maintain the safety of the world’s injectable pharmaceuticals.

The mission of the ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Advisory Panel is focused on the conservation of the horseshoe crab, while also maintaining availability of this important species to the biomedical industry, the birding community and fisheries. The horseshoe crab is one of the 27 nearshore species of which the conservation and management is coordinated by the ASMFC.

“It is a great honor to have been chosen to chair this group of dedicated professionals, with whom I share the same principles,” Burgenson said. “This appointment marks a very special milestone in my journey as a horseshoe crab conservationist, which started when I was a child flipping stranded horseshoe crabs on the beach during the spawning season while my dad fished on the New Jersey shore. I look forward to working with the panel to further protect this important species.”

More information about endotoxin testing and Lonza’s portfolio of products is available on this website: https://bioscience.lonza.com/endotoxin-testing

About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world’s leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. As an integrated solutions provider, Lonza is boosting its value creation along and beyond the healthcare continuum with a strong focus on patient healthcare, consumer preventive healthcare and consumer’s healthy environment. Lonza harnesses science and technology to create products that support safer and healthier living and that enhance the overall quality of life. With the recent Capsugel acquisition, Lonza now offers products and services from the custom development and manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients to innovative dosage forms for the pharma and consumer health and nutrition industries.

Benefiting from its regulatory expertise, Lonza is able to transfer its know-how from pharma to hygiene and fast-moving consumer goods all the way to coatings and composites and the preservation and protection of agricultural goods and other natural resources.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 100 sites and offices and approximately 14,500 full-time employees worldwide. The company generated sales of CHF 5.1 billion in 2017 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.3 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com