Vaccines are by far the most important tool in preventing disease in Norwegian aquaculture. Without the systematic use of efficient vaccines industrialized fish farming would be impossible. Despite this, 53 million salmon were lost in Norway in 2017 due to disease, also related to salmon lice treatment. In the project, we will develop novel, clever vaccines based on nanoparticles, tailored for oral vaccination. 

Although there are many vaccines that work well, it is still a great need for the development of new effective vaccines. The fish's surfaces, including skin, gills and gut, are continuously exposed to microorganisms in the environment. To combat disease-causing viruses and bacteria on these mucosal surfaces (mucous membranes), a strong mucosal defense is also required.

Today's vaccines are primarily injection vaccines that target the central immune system of the fish. Oral vaccination will provide exposure of the vaccine via mucosa and may therefore be a better strategy for achieving a strong mucosal defense.

Oral vaccination allows both simple administration and mimics a natural infection route in the fish, and is therefore an obviously preferred alternative for vaccination of fish. However, only one commercial oral fish vaccine exists on the market today. The biggest challenges with oral vaccines are:

• The vaccine breaks down rapidly in the harsh environment of the stomach and therefore needs to be protected
• The vaccine is not sufficiently potent to provide effective and prolonged protection
• The vaccine must reach the intestine rapidly and cross the mucous membranes

MucoProtect is a ground-breaking project within fish vaccinology. We will develop novel, clever vaccines based on nanoparticles, tailored for oral vaccination. The new technology should allow targeted and controlled release of the vaccine. In addition, we will use new tools that provide completely new opportunities for measuring the effects of vaccines, which is essential for rational vaccine development.

MucoProtect is a one-year pre-project funded by the Norwegian Research Council within the HAVBRUK program (NFR 280520). The project is led by the Veterinary Institute and partner in the project is SINTEF Industry, Department of Biotechnology and Nanomedicine. If the results from the preliminary project are promising, the project may be extended in the form of a research project with a duration of 2-3 years.