Periodic Reporting for period 2 - IGNITION (Improving GreeN Innovation for the blue revoluTION: new tools and opportunities for a more sustainable animal farming)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-05-01 al 2025-10-31
Animal health and welfare are issues of high research priority for European aquaculture. Preventing, or reducing the impact of disease is of prime importance for producers, researchers and stakeholders. In addition, public awareness of aquatic animal health and welfare leads to the increased attention of policy-makers, scientific community and the consumers into new methods for disease prevention. The IGNITION project was conceived to contribute to these challenges and it overall aims to unveil new knowledge regarding animal welfare in the context of climate change and proposes new tools to mitigate the adverse effects of stress. In particular, the studies will focus on several marine and fresh water fish species along with invertebrate species, and 6 specific objectives were settled: i) animal welfare; ii) biomarkers discovery; iii) functional feeds; iv) vaccination; v) genomic tools and molecular phenotyping to improve animal welfare; and vi) non-invasive biosensors and IT tools.
Seabass, trout and salmon were exposed to acute stress (transport and dip vaccination), and to chronic stress (high temperature and stocking densities). Physiological and molecular responses were characterised thus improving our understanding of how fish cope with farming practices and environmental changes. Whiteleg shrimp physiological and behavioural responses to stress were also characterised, and new welfare indicators for this species were proposed.
Datasets from stress experiments were integrated and analysed with machine-learning methods to identify consistent patterns linked to stress and immune activation. The analysis has highlighted candidate biomarkers for non-invasive monitoring of fish health and welfare, supporting earlier detection of problems in farms.
A dedicated biorefinery process is being scaled up to produce sufficient extracts for bioactives testing. The process has been patented, to secure efficient conversion of Salicornia ramosissima green fibres into fermentable sugars for downstream production of protein-rich feed additives. Selected extracts were assessed for antimicrobial activity, and were further evaluated in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo in all fish and shrimp species. These studies confirmed biological activity and supported the selection of top candidates for functional feed development, to enhance health and resilience under farming-relevant stressors, including heat waves.
In salmon, combinations of intraperitoneal injection and dip vaccination were tested to enhance protection against Tenacibaculum finmarkense, while work continues with commercial ISA vaccines combined with drug treatments. OMV-based vaccination approaches were advanced. Vesicles carrying truncated PorU antigens from T. maritimum were successfully produced, and the innovation was secured through a provisional patent. Uptake of OMVs after oral delivery was demonstrated in seabass and trout, and vaccination trials in seabass showed immune responses after intraperitoneal administration. Oral delivery showed more variable responses, indicating potential but also need for further optimisation.
A key output has been the creation and validation of the first SNP array for the Manila clam, providing a powerful resource for genetic analyses, selective breeding, and resilience studies. In parallel, multiomics and molecular phenotyping pipelines have been optimized to integrate transcriptomic, metabolomic, and proteomic data, enabling a comprehensive assessment of fish responses to challenges.
Biosensors for cortisol and other biomarkers detection were developed, as well as machine-vision models and data-driven IT platforms. By enabling non-invasive sampling and real-time monitoring, these tools reduce handling and other stressful procedures, providing actionable insights for farmers.
Datasets from stress experiments were integrated and analysed with machine-learning methods to identify consistent patterns linked to stress and immune activation. The analysis has highlighted candidate biomarkers for non-invasive monitoring of fish health and welfare, supporting earlier detection of problems in farms.
A dedicated biorefinery process is being scaled up to produce sufficient extracts for bioactives testing. The process has been patented, to secure efficient conversion of Salicornia ramosissima green fibres into fermentable sugars for downstream production of protein-rich feed additives. Selected extracts were assessed for antimicrobial activity, and were further evaluated in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo in all fish and shrimp species. These studies confirmed biological activity and supported the selection of top candidates for functional feed development, to enhance health and resilience under farming-relevant stressors, including heat waves.
In salmon, combinations of intraperitoneal injection and dip vaccination were tested to enhance protection against Tenacibaculum finmarkense, while work continues with commercial ISA vaccines combined with drug treatments. OMV-based vaccination approaches were advanced. Vesicles carrying truncated PorU antigens from T. maritimum were successfully produced, and the innovation was secured through a provisional patent. Uptake of OMVs after oral delivery was demonstrated in seabass and trout, and vaccination trials in seabass showed immune responses after intraperitoneal administration. Oral delivery showed more variable responses, indicating potential but also need for further optimisation.
A key output has been the creation and validation of the first SNP array for the Manila clam, providing a powerful resource for genetic analyses, selective breeding, and resilience studies. In parallel, multiomics and molecular phenotyping pipelines have been optimized to integrate transcriptomic, metabolomic, and proteomic data, enabling a comprehensive assessment of fish responses to challenges.
Biosensors for cortisol and other biomarkers detection were developed, as well as machine-vision models and data-driven IT platforms. By enabling non-invasive sampling and real-time monitoring, these tools reduce handling and other stressful procedures, providing actionable insights for farmers.
A major contribution lies in the development of practical tools for assessing fish welfare and stress in ways that are applicable to real farming conditions. OWIs and machine-vision models developed within the project provide farmers with early warning systems to detect stress-related behaviours and compromised welfare before more severe impacts occur. In parallel, the identification and validation of less invasive and non-invasive stress biomarkers represent a clear advance for both academia and the industry sector.
The project has also contributed to improving disease prevention and reducing reliance on animal experimentation. In vitro screening of halophyte extracts allowed the identification of candidates with antimicrobial and immunomodulatory potential before moving to in vivo trials.
Innovative vaccination strategies represent another key impact area. The project demonstrated that OMVs can stimulate both systemic and mucosal immune responses in fish without the need for adjuvants, confirming their intrinsic immunogenicity. Importantly, oral administration led to detectable immune responses alongside high intestinal uptake of OMVs, supporting their suitability for oral delivery. These findings provide a strong foundation for the development of scalable, welfare-friendly vaccination platforms that could reduce handling stress and production costs in aquaculture, directly contributing to the project’s objectives of improving animal welfare through novel antigen delivery systems.
The project has advanced the consolidation of multi-modal datasets into a comprehensive database, combining outputs from several WPs and analysing them using machine-learning approaches. In parallel, the project is working toward the development of non-invasive electrochemical sensors capable of real-time monitoring of stress and inflammation biomarkers in mucus and water.
The development of a Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms array for Manila clam provides the industry with a practical tool to manage genetic diversity, avoid inbreeding, and selectively breed for traits such as growth, disease resistance, and climate resilience.
The project has also contributed to improving disease prevention and reducing reliance on animal experimentation. In vitro screening of halophyte extracts allowed the identification of candidates with antimicrobial and immunomodulatory potential before moving to in vivo trials.
Innovative vaccination strategies represent another key impact area. The project demonstrated that OMVs can stimulate both systemic and mucosal immune responses in fish without the need for adjuvants, confirming their intrinsic immunogenicity. Importantly, oral administration led to detectable immune responses alongside high intestinal uptake of OMVs, supporting their suitability for oral delivery. These findings provide a strong foundation for the development of scalable, welfare-friendly vaccination platforms that could reduce handling stress and production costs in aquaculture, directly contributing to the project’s objectives of improving animal welfare through novel antigen delivery systems.
The project has advanced the consolidation of multi-modal datasets into a comprehensive database, combining outputs from several WPs and analysing them using machine-learning approaches. In parallel, the project is working toward the development of non-invasive electrochemical sensors capable of real-time monitoring of stress and inflammation biomarkers in mucus and water.
The development of a Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms array for Manila clam provides the industry with a practical tool to manage genetic diversity, avoid inbreeding, and selectively breed for traits such as growth, disease resistance, and climate resilience.