Biotech firm can combat EMS, SRS, others with phage technology

Even within food packaging, Fixed Phage is able to target bacteria and extend shelf life. Photo: Fixed Phage

Biotechnology company Fixed Phage has developed a way to tackle prevalent diseases in the aquaculture industry, including Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) in shrimp and Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome (SRS), its commercial director Athol Haas, told IntraFish.

By harnessing the power of naturally occurring microorganisms called “phages” -- essentially good viruses which attack and overtake the bad -- Fixed Phage can attack devastating aquaculture diseases right at the source, through the feed.

“Phages are the most abundant microorganism on earth,” Haas said. “They are viruses, but good viruses, which seek out specific bacteria, or bad viruses, and kill them.”

The scientific community has known about phages and their properties for over a hundred years. Even before antibiotics were discovered they were often used to treat wounds on the battlefield, and are still used today to treat certain conditions.

So it is not necessarily a “new science”.

However, what Fixed Phage brings to the table is the discovery of a method of binding, or “covalently bonding,” phage to just about any surface. “We use bacteriophage technology to target very specific bacterial diseases inside of aquaculture.

“In the first instance it was plastic sheets, but now we can do it to lots of different things, including feed pellets and ingredients, as well as microbeads, powders, gels and oils,” said Haas.

And according to him, this is “extremely significant” for two main reasons.

Firstly, it means the phage remains stable for much longer once attached to a surface, meaning it can survive for in excess of 12 months in storage. Secondly, by doing that,the company can extend its temperature stability so there is no need for cold-chain solutions.

“In its natural form, there is a great variation in the stability of phage,” said Haas. “Some have a half-life of only a day or two – and are therefore almost impossible to use in a commercial application because they’ll die too fast. But by bonding them to the surface we are able to keep them stable for in excess of 12 months.”

“So we have created stable technology we can apply commercially, and we don’t have to use cold chill.”

In its natural format, phage is in liquid form. It has been used in an attempt to treat aquaculture-related diseases in the past, using it as a liquid and pouring it into the ponds or cages, but this is “a very inexact science."

There is no real way of understanding and efficiently tracking how many of the phage will actually find their target, which is probably inside the fish --for example a gut issue.

“Until now it has been difficult to use them,” said Haas. “But now we can stick them to different surfaces, and create a stable delivery method -- that’s what makes the difference.”

The most obvious use of the new technology is to stick the phage to feed as a final step, once the pellet is produced.

The feed is then eaten by the fish, ending up in the gut where it can get to work. “We can also combine them with an ingredient, which is then put into the feed.”

The end product is good enough to be used as a treatment or a prophylactic, and this is determined on a “case by case” basis.

Shrimp EMS, SRS treatments

In terms of using the technology for aquaculture, Fixed Phage started by looking at EMS in shrimp -- which has devastated the industry globally, and now it has a “very big partner” in the feed industry helping commercialize the approach.

Haas declined to say who the partner is, but did say they are a large player in the market globally.

“The aim is to produce a feed or feed ingredient that can challenge EMS,” said Haas said. “We’ve been working on that for some time, and we’re making very good progress.”

The precise launch date will ultimately be driven by the commercial partner, he added.

But EMS is by no means the only bacterial issue in aquaculture, and Fixed Phage is looking at a number of different projects such as Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome (SRS) in salmon.

“There are several diseases/species we are looking at, but a lot are covered by confidentiality agreements,” he said.

“We have other programs underway with very large global commercial partners, challenging for example summer gut syndrome and a couple of other specific issues within farmed salmon particularly in South America.”

Flavobacterium is also a target for Fixed Phage, which affects finfish, and is particularly prevalent in salmonids.

Other diseases are more geography specific, but “with the clients we have, or are in discussions with, we are looking at the issues which are the largest for them financially.”

“We are able to challenge just about any bacterial problem people find themselves with, within aquaculture.”

Even more potential

Fixed Phage not only uses its technology for aquaculture, but also for land based animals and other agriculture. In addition, there are some attractive opportunities in food packaging.

With food packaging, Fixed Phage is able to target bacteria that causes spoilage, for example those that make something look bad when it’s still edible, or smell bad when it’s still edible.

“There are a number of different angles in packaging and we are looking specifically at chilled seafood,” said Haas.

“If we can slow down the rate the bacteria spoil the food, we can extend the shelf life, and allow transportation times to be extended.”

According to Haas this concept has been fully modelled, and it is known exactly how much money it could save the industry.

“This is well developed and you will probably see packaging using our technology within 12 months.”

Fixed Phage was founded in 2010 and with seven years in development is has only been 18 months to 2 years in commercial partnerships.

“We are still ongoing, making progress all the time, but next will be to expand our partnerships in the core areas,” said Haas.