MicroSynbiotiX careers

One of the greatest challenges for the growing aquaculture Industry is managing disease. Nearly 5% of the global fish stocks are lost due to disease, at a cost of over 10 billion dollars. Vaccination is the most sustainable way to prevent these diseases. Currently, the most commonly used method of vaccination is hand-held injection using a needle. The fish has to be of a certain size, and requires professional labor to administer the vaccine, but such an approach is expensive, labor intensive and not sustainable.
At MicroSynbiotiX, we are overcoming these challenges by genetically engineering microalgae, which is a natural part of the fish diet. Using advanced synthetic biology tools, we lock the vaccine inside the microalgae biomass. The microalgal oral vaccines can be fed directly to the fish, mimicking the natural feeding process and removing the need for expensive labor. The natural digestion process of the fish unlocks the vaccine and triggers a desirable immune response.