AquaNab secures funding to combat the $4 billion sea lice issue affecting salmon using alpaca nanoantibodies.

      Hamburg-based biotech company AquaNab is taking a unique approach to tackling one of salmon farming's most expensive pests, starting with alpacas. The company is developing tiny antibodies, derived from these animals and administered through fish feed, to address and prevent sea lice infestations.

      Sea lice pose a significant threat, costing the aquaculture industry billions annually due to treatment expenses, production losses, and fish deaths—AquaNab estimates the financial impact to be around $4 billion. These parasites have proven particularly challenging to control.

      Currently, farmers often resort to chemical baths and mechanical delousing, both of which can be expensive, stressful for the fish, and increasingly scrutinized by regulators concerned about chemical runoff and animal welfare issues.

      AquaNab's solution leverages a unique biological characteristic. Camelids, such as alpacas, produce small yet robust antibodies known as nanoantibodies or nanobodies, and the company claims to be the first globally to administer them to fish via feed.

      The method of delivery is the innovative aspect. Research conducted by the company indicates that these antibodies, branded as AquaNabs, can survive passage through the gut, cross the fish’s intestinal barrier, and enter the bloodstream without causing the stress associated with traditional treatments.

      The scientific foundation behind the project is substantial. Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Alejandro Rojas was one of the first to develop neutralizing nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2, while CEO Dr. Ruth Tamara Montero is a fish immunologist trained at Germany’s Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.

      “Currently, producers must choose between expensive, stressful treatments and the losses caused by the parasite,” she noted, expressing AquaNab's goal to provide “an alternative to that cycle.”

      The company views sea lice as merely the starting point. While their inaugural product targets Atlantic salmon, the founders consider this approach a platform that could potentially address bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases in various farmed species.

      Investors are intrigued by this platform concept. AquaNab has received an undisclosed investment from Finland’s Nordic Foodtech VC, marking the firm’s first investment outside the Nordic region—a small yet significant endorsement of a company still validating its scientific claims.

      Partner Mika Kukkurainen suggested that the idea could extend beyond just one type of parasite, presenting feed-based nanoantibody technology as a way to transform health and resilience across food production, promising reduced losses and healthier animals.

      This proposition aligns with a broader trend moving from chemical solutions to biological alternatives in food production. Startups are increasingly introducing natural options to replace harsh inputs, such as fungal-based crop protection intended to substitute synthetic pesticides, and AquaNab is applying a similar philosophy in aquaculture.

      The aquaculture sector has become a hub of experimentation, with the industry exploring various innovations, from blockchain technology in salmon farming to incorporating insect protein into feed, all aimed at making this rapidly growing food source more sustainable.

      The overarching goal remains to feed more people while minimizing harm. Biotech advancements are gradually transforming what appears on our plates, whether through gene-edited bananas or precision therapeutics for farmed fish, and AquaNab is betting that salmon health will play a crucial role in this evolution.

      However, caution is necessary. AquaNab is still in the process of achieving proof of concept, the specifics of the investment remain undisclosed, and delivering a novel biological treatment via feed at a commercial scale raises concerns about efficacy, cost, and the regulatory pathway for treating food fish.

      The competition is fierce, too. Sea lice represent a multibillion-dollar opportunity, and large animal health corporations are aggressively pursuing it, meaning that this small Hamburg startup must demonstrate that its elegant solution is effective in aquatic environments, not just in laboratory settings.