Project description
Fish vaccines for a sustainable future
Bacterial infections are a growing threat to aquaculture, a key source of protein for millions. In the Mediterranean, Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida devastates fish like gilthead seabream and Senegalese sole, causing high mortality and economic losses. Traditional vaccines often fall short. They are hard to administer, stressful for fish, and not always effective. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PhotoVaccine project is testing edible vaccines. Scientists are using spores from probiotic Bacillus strains to carry antigens directly into fish guts. These aim to trigger strong, lasting immune responses without the stress of injections. If successful, this approach could revolutionise fish health management, making aquaculture more sustainable, humane, and resilient.
Objective
Aquaculture is vital to global food security, but the industry is increasingly threatened by bacterial pathogens that cause significant economic losses. Among these, Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida is a major pathogen in the Mediterranean area, causing high mortality rates in valuable fish species like the gilthead seabream and Senegalese sole. Traditional vaccination methods in aquaculture often face challenges, including poor efficacy and the stress caused to fish during handling. Thus, there is a critical need for innovative and effective vaccine strategies that are easy to administer and provide robust protection.
This proposal (PhotoVaccine) aims to address this challenge by developing novel oral vaccines using spores of probiotic Bacillus strains to deliver Phdp antigens. Building on the NUTRIMU groups recent proof-of-concept for spore surface display technology, this proposal aims to: i) engineer Bacillus spores to display Phdp antigens on their surface, and ii) assess the immunomodulatory effects and protective efficacy of these PhotoVaccines in fish models. Specifically, we will address the following questions:
- Can spores of B. subtilis be used as oral delivery vehicles for Ph. damselae subsp. piscicida antigens?
- Are oral PhotoVaccines effective in protecting fish against infections?
- What type of response is elicited by oral PhotoVaccines on fish intestinal mucosa?
By the end of this project, we aim to develop at least one PhotoVaccine candidate with potential for commercial use, contributing significantly to disease management in aquaculture. This research will also enhance our understanding of fish immunology, particularly how mucosal vaccines can overcome intestinal tolerance to provide long-term protection. The outcomes of this project could transform disease control in aquaculture, promoting sustainability and reducing economic losses due to bacterial infections.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesfisheries
- social sciencessociologydemographymortality
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunology
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccines
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
4450 208 Matosinhos
Portugal