SBIR/STTR Phase I:Use of Inducible Antimicrobial Peptides for Rapid Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management of Disease in Finfish Aquaculture

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Phase I Project proposes to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for management of infectious pathogens in finfish such as the hybrid striped bass (HSB). HSB aquaculture has become the fourth largest form of U.S. fish production. Prior research by the investigators on the molecules involved in the innate, non specific immunity of HSB has led to the discovery, cloning, and characterization of a novel, cysteine-rich, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that has been named bass-hepcidin. Hepcidin homologs are present in many finfish species. Bass-hepcidin is strongly expressed in the liver upon experimental challenge with the devastating aquaculture pathogen Streptococcus iniae. Phase I research objectives include: 1) synthesis and purification of the peptide, 2) development of a polyclonal antibody and ELISA assay), 3) testing of the minimum inhibitory concentration of the peptide against important aquaculture, agriculture, and human pathogens, and 4) measurement of gene expression in finfish tissues in experimental challenges with pathogenic bacteria using Northern blots/rtPCR. If successful, this project will allow development of cost-effective test kits for rapid diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections in several species of cultured finfish. The commercial application of this project is in the area of aquaculture. On a worldwide basis, disease costs aquaculture producers more than $3 billion annually. The development of a cost-effective immunoassay will allow rapid diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections in HSB and other commercially important cultured finfish.