"Sea lice is just the start," said fish immunologist Dr Ruth Tamara Montero, AquaNab's CEO and co-founder.
Photo: AquaNab.
Hamburg-based German biotechnology company AquaNab announced today that it has secured the funds to accelerate the advancement of its platform, in which it is developing alpaca-derived nanoantibody technology for aquaculture, a sustainable alternative to current chemical and mechanical methods for treating sea lice. If it can be developed at scale, this solution could solve a problem that is estimated to cost the global salmon farming industry USD 4 billion annually.
The company investing in AquaNab is Finland's Nordic Foodtech VC, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on solving the most challenging problems in food and agriculture. The funding of this platform—which is designed to expand to address additional pathogens across aquaculture—marks its first investment outside the Nordic countries.
Faced with the challenge of treating and preventing sea lice—one of the most costly and persistent challenges facing salmon farming—AquaNab is developing a pioneering precision nanoantibody technology that delivers alpaca-derived nanoantibodies through fish feed.
Research has shown that these nanobodies, called AquaNabs, can cross the fish's intestinal barrier and enter its bloodstream. The company noted that this breakthrough, which offers an alternative to conventional chemical and mechanical parasite control methods, comes at a time when the food industry is seeking more sustainable ways to feed a growing global population.
As mentioned above, sea lice generate an estimated cost of USD 4 billion annually for the aquaculture industry due to treatments, lost production, and fish mortality. However, the challenges posed by this parasite extend beyond the economic impact.
Sea lice also pose environmental and animal welfare challenges, raising concerns about chemical runoff, the health of surrounding waters, and the impact of mechanical and chemical delousing methods on fish welfare. Thus, as scrutiny from regulators, distributors, and consumers increases, producers are seeking more effective and sustainable alternatives.
"Animal welfare and fish health remain the biggest challenges facing sustainable aquaculture, and producers need better tools to protect it," said Dr Ruth Tamara Montero, AquaNab's CEO and co-founder, as well as an experienced fish immunologist with a PhD from Germany's Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.
Although the company's first product is being developed for introduction into Atlantic salmon feed, as mentioned above, the platform is designed to adapt to bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases in multiple aquaculture species.
"Sea lice is just the start. Right now, producers are stuck choosing between costly, stressful treatments and losses from the parasite itself. We want to give them a way out of that cycle, one that protects their fish, their business, and helps secure the future of food," Dr. Montero stated.
In its mission to transform aquaculture through robust, low-cost, and sustainable precision immuno-therapeutics, AquaNab will have, as said, the financial backing of the Finnish Nordic Foodtech VC.
"AquaNab has the potential to transform not only how disease is managed in aquaculture, but how we think about health and resilience across food production," said Mika Kukkurainen, Partner at Nordic Foodtech.
"By turning advanced nanoantibody science into a practical, feed-based solution, the team is creating a pathway from breakthrough biotechnology to measurable outcomes in farming: lower losses, healthier animals, and greater efficiency. This is the kind of technology that can reshape an industry," he added.
Co-founded by Dr. Ruth Tamara Montero, Dr. Alejandro Rojas Fernandez, and Gunnar Johildarson in Hamburg, Germany, the science behind AquaNab builds on internationally recognised expertise in nanoantibody development.
Now, as it seeks additional funding to accelerate the development of its nanoantibody platform and bring its first products to market, the biotechnology company is moving forward with its main program toward proof-of-concept completion, while expanding its collaborations with salmon producers, feed manufacturers, and animal health companies.
