SBIR-STTR Award

Although aquaculture is the world's fastest-growing animal food production system, diseases remain a major impediment to the development and expansion of environmentally safe and sustainable aquaculture in the United States. Pathogenic fungal and bacterial infections of eggs, skin, and gills continue to kill millions of fish every year. At this time, there are no vaccines available to prevent fungal infections and only a limited number of commercial vaccines against bacterial diseases. Traditional antifungal chemical treatments have potentially serious human health and/or aquatic ecosystem impacts, as well as regulatory constraints. This project investigates the feasibility of addressing these problems through a two-pronged synergistic approach. One component would treat or protect the host animal directly using naturally-occurring materials, while the second component would use nanoparticle-based treatments that would inactivate harmful processes unique to fungal and bacterial pathogens. A variety of effective disease treatments could emerge from this work that involve only one or both of these components. For example, a prototype product will be evaluated that will incorporate both components into one protective system. This product could be mixed with live fish eggs in egg-hatching containers in both public and private sector aquaculture facilities. If successful, our new nanoparticle platform technology will significantly enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of American agriculture in rural areas that produce farmed fish or shrimp by reducing the losses caused by infectious diseases without harming the environment or sensitive organisms in the receiving water.

Many fungal and bacterial pathogens produce proteolytic enzymes that facilitate penetration into fish skin or eggshells. These diseases are a major and growing challenge to sustainable aquaculture in the United States. Our Phase I research results demonstrated the feasibility of new, non-toxic, disease prevention and treatment strategies. The key is our focus on safe, natural materials combined with innovative delivery systems. We propose to enhance the efficacy of the treatments identified in Phase I by applying recent advances in particle chemistry and nanotechnology. First, we will examine the efficacy of our latest formulation discoveries against an array of pathogenic Saprolegnia fungi from diverse geographic areas to validate their widespread applicability. Second, we will examine unique enzyme systems and test for anti-fungal activity. Third, we will work to magnify the therapeutic potency of our formulations by combining them to non-toxic micro- or nanoparticles. Fourth, these treatment systems will be tested in catfish and trout for safety and efficacy. Lastly, this agriculturally-related manufacturing technology will be commercialized by developing initial prototype products and field testing them in conjunction with ProFishent's Phase III collaborator, AquaTactics, LLC. These treatments should promote an expansion of the number of cultured species, make the harvest volume more predictable, and increase the productivity of private and public sector aquaculture in the U.S.A.