TSGA IPA: The Australian Aquatic Animal Health And Vaccine Centre: First Phase To Establish Atlantic Salmon Biosecure Fish Facility Capabilities And Develop Strategy For An Australian Centre Of Excellence
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,694,600.00
Summary
Commercial in confidence. To know more about this project please contact FRDC. Objectives: Commercial in confidence
Production Of Antibodies Against Toxins Involved In Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$87,050.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Develop method of detection of ciguatoxin (CTX) to extract & purify sufficient CTX to service requirements of program. 2. Develop an en enzyme imunassay for measuring anti-CTX production. 3. Develop method of schedule immunisation to allow production of monoclonal antibodies
SCRC: Seafood CRC Participant Sponsorship To 2011 National Seafood Industry Leadership Program
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
The CRC is all about capacity building within the CRC participants and the FRDC Seafood Leadership Program enables the opportunity to invest in people who are keen to show their leadership potential. Investing in Leadership, and the associated networks and cross stakeholder understanding is seen as vitally important for all sectors to be able to contribute to debate, drive change and address challenges in order to enable the Seafood CRC and the industry to reach its potential.
FRDC has obtained Board approval FRDC Board Meeting # 194, 24 November 2022) to become a member of CRC SAAFE and investment up to $1.0 million. This project is needed to manage the FRDC investment that will be comprised of investments seafood related projects. Conducting projects within CRC SAAFE will provide linkages to additional resources, expertise and knowledge sharing that will improve project outputs and foster national collaboration in addition to that currently provided by the FRDC. Th ....FRDC has obtained Board approval FRDC Board Meeting # 194, 24 November 2022) to become a member of CRC SAAFE and investment up to $1.0 million. This project is needed to manage the FRDC investment that will be comprised of investments seafood related projects. Conducting projects within CRC SAAFE will provide linkages to additional resources, expertise and knowledge sharing that will improve project outputs and foster national collaboration in addition to that currently provided by the FRDC. This will include the research and industry participants that are partners of CRC SAAFE. Objectives: 1. Best practice AMR mitigation and management in the seafood industry and the aquatic environment. 2. Improved biosecurity and animal welfare through development of vaccines to minimise use of antibiotics. Read moreRead less
Development Of Vaccines And Rapid Diagnostic Monoclonal Antibodies Against Micro-organisms Associated With Diseases Of Wild And Cultured Finfish And Shellfish
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$166,772.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Identification and characterisation of species-specific antigenic determinants that are heat-stable components of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on pathogenic gram-negative bacteria. 2. Prepare a library of species and genus-specific monoclonal antibodies against the heat-stable LPS components of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria 3. Select appropriate hybridomas, that produce high affinity monoclonal antibodies, for transfer to strategic companies 4. Complete t ....Objectives: 1. Identification and characterisation of species-specific antigenic determinants that are heat-stable components of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on pathogenic gram-negative bacteria. 2. Prepare a library of species and genus-specific monoclonal antibodies against the heat-stable LPS components of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria 3. Select appropriate hybridomas, that produce high affinity monoclonal antibodies, for transfer to strategic companies 4. Complete the testing of specific LPS fragments extracted from one Vibrio species to produce vaccine against all Vibrio pathogens 5. Use the same approach as in (4) to test the genus-specific protection afforded by similar LPS fragrments extracted from additional pathogens, particularly Aeromonas salmonicida 6. Develop and market commercial products for use rapid diagnoses and in research of infections of wild and cultured fish and shellfish Read moreRead less
Aquafin CRC - Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram: Establishment Of Challenge For AGD
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$652,222.00
Summary
Strategic plan This proposal is part of the FRDC Industry Development Program, Strategy – Aquaculture Development – Production and Production Systems. The project includes a technician and a postdoctoral research fellow (Dr Philip Crosbie) as co-investigator and they will both be provided with suitable professional development opportunities through the Education Program of the Aquafin CRC. Later in the project it may be possible to adopt a PhD student with an independent scholarship or inclu ....Strategic plan This proposal is part of the FRDC Industry Development Program, Strategy – Aquaculture Development – Production and Production Systems. The project includes a technician and a postdoctoral research fellow (Dr Philip Crosbie) as co-investigator and they will both be provided with suitable professional development opportunities through the Education Program of the Aquafin CRC. Later in the project it may be possible to adopt a PhD student with an independent scholarship or include Honours and Masters projects as they are required and become available. Thus, the project will contribute to the Human Capital Development Program, Leadership and Vocational Development. This proposal includes several key research areas outlined in the Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram Strategic R&D Plan, namely the Nature of disease and host-pathogen interactions and Training and capacity building. Relevant priorities being: to provide improved knowledge of the biology of disease agents (in this case the AGD-causing organism), and an improved knowledge of host responses to disease agents which will be partially addressed by monitoring the specific antibody response to N. pemaquidensis antigens (Nature of disease and host-pathogen interactions). Both the research and service components of this proposal will expand the technical skill base in aquatic animal health and facilitate R&D knowledge transfer (Training and capacity building). This project will underpin other projects that contribute to the Aquafin CRC Health Program Outcomes ie. reduced economic impact of disease (AGD) in finfish (Atlantic salmon) farming.
Need for this research The continued existence of Atlantic salmon farming in Tasmania is threatened by AGD. Production is expected to increase over the next few years and this will undoubtedly lead to an increase in the incidence of AGD. The AGD control method of freshwater bathing has increased in frequency with the growth in production over the past few years and this trend is expected to continue. This will present a growing cost burden to salmon growers, it is therefore imperative that the impact of AGD on the industry be reduced so as to maintain viability for the future. Multidisciplinary teams have been assembled to achieve this outcome via a number of projects. The projects are complementary and in some cases interdependent where progress in one area is dependent on progress in another area. This is particularly the case with the service component of the current proposal and the vaccine development program, where supply of infective material and a means of controlled testing of candidate vaccines are integral to success. Vaccine development requires identification of specific antigens from the pathogen that will elicit a protective immune response in the host, hence the need for significant quantities of infective material. Similarly, success of the treatment of AGD investigation is dependent on supply of cells for initial screening of a battery of potential therapeutants in vitro before attempting field trials. The research component of the proposal, which is the development of a standard AGD challenge method that can be used in experimental tanks, is essential for the success of these projects. We need to be able to consistently induce AGD in fish to economically appraise alternative treatments and candidate vaccines before moving onto costly field trials. Inducing experimental infections is widely recognised as one of the cornerstones of vaccine development (Nordmo, 1996).
Benefits The major benefit will be enabling progress in the vaccine development and alternative treatment projects to be made. We will have in place a model to economically appraise novel treatments, experimental vaccines and other less specific means of prophylaxis such as immunomodulation. Ultimately the project will contribute to a collective outcome of lessening the impact of AGD on salmon producers and reducing the estimated 10-20% of production costs that is currently spent controlling the disease. Other benefits include a better understanding of risk factors contributing to AGD, and the opportunity to investigate the virulence mechanisms of the organism. Overall the project will contribute to research output and service. The systematic development and subsequent use of challenge models will yield publishable material. The service aspect will be in the supply of amoebae to collaborators and provision of a means to test novel therapeutants, experimental vaccines and immunomodulatory compounds.
References Nordmo, R., 1996. Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Challenge Methods. In: Fish Vaccinology (ed. By Gudding, R., Lillehaug, A., Midtlyng, P.J. and Brown, F.) Developments in Biological Standardisation. Basel, Karger p 303-309 Objectives: 1. Standardisation of AGD challenge models (research) 2. Use of challenge to appraise trial vaccines developed in the vaccine development project (essential service) 3. Provision of gill-associated and cultured amoebae to collaborators (essential service) 4. Cryopreservation of virulent amoebae (research) 5. Maintenance of infection tank (essential service) 6. Provision of freshwater salmon for experiments in other projects (essential service) Read moreRead less
Aquafin CRC - Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram: Molecular Assessment Of Resistance To AGD In Atlantic Salmon
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$106,048.00
Summary
Management costs (ca. 10% GVP) associated with AGD are severely limiting further expansion and sustainability of the Tasmanian Atlantic salmon industry. A holistic approach that combines alternative treatments, better management procedures, the use of a vaccine and selection of stock that are more resistant to infection would greatly reduce the impact of AGD. With the exception of selection the other areas are all active components of the Aquafin CRC Health Program. A more resistant stock along ....Management costs (ca. 10% GVP) associated with AGD are severely limiting further expansion and sustainability of the Tasmanian Atlantic salmon industry. A holistic approach that combines alternative treatments, better management procedures, the use of a vaccine and selection of stock that are more resistant to infection would greatly reduce the impact of AGD. With the exception of selection the other areas are all active components of the Aquafin CRC Health Program. A more resistant stock along with even a partially effective treatment and vaccine would be of major benefit to the long-term sustainability of the industry.
An international consultant recommended to the industry and State Government in March 2003 that a selective breeding program should be established as soon as practical. A business plan for such a program has been developed and is under consideration by the industry. A major trait for inclusion in the program was resistance to AGD. Research in relation to understanding AGD resistance for use in selective breeding was ranked second to oral treatments in an industry survey of AGD priorities in June 2003.
Selection for resistance to external parasites in breeding programs is relatively novel and AGD is an issue specific to the Tasmanian industry, therefore unlike most other production traits in a breeding program reliance on overseas research and experience is impossible. With recent advances in molecular technologies it is now possible to investigate and understand variation to disease at the genetic level. Such knowledge on AGD will allow both improved understanding of the phenotypic variation (that will benefit other research areas) and identification of specific genetic markers that would allow faster genetic gains in resistance to be made in a selection program than would be possible via standard phenotypic selection alone. Objectives: 1. To define the molecular events underlying the progression of clinical AGD within Atlantic salmon 2. To undertake a molecular assessment of the inherent genetic resistance to AGD in Atlantic salmon 3. To identify molecular markers associated with AGD resistance for application in a selective breeding program Read moreRead less