Endotoxins are bacterial membrane components consisting of lipid A moiety, inner and outer carbohydrate core and the O-antigen polysaccharide. Endotoxins may be present in pharma products, mainly in biotechnological production processes and pose a safety risk for patients upon systemic administration of therapeutics. The endotoxin concentration must be low in biopharmaceutical products therefore and the quantification in products for pharma production processes as well as in final drug products is enforced by regulatory authorities.

The project goal is the development of a novel method to quantify endotoxins which is not based on animal products such as the horseshoe crab.