SBIR-STTR Award

It is well established that disease poses one of the greatest threats to efficient aquaculture production as fish are raised in high densities increasing the risk- and rate- of infectious disease transmission. Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) is an RNA virus which causes Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) an incurable disease of Salmonid fish. As such infected animals are culled as soon as they begin showing symptoms in an attempt prevent further spread of the disease; this is often too late as the clinical manifestation of the disease occurs once the disease has spread to throughout the entire crop. Gaskiya Diagnostics LLC develops low-cost paper-based easy-to-use diagnostic tests for disease detection for the aquaculture industry. The colorimetric results are rapid simple to interpret and require no expertise or equipment. Mitigating the largest risk in aquaculture lowers the barrier for entry and provides US-based aquaculture with the competitive edge that could result in the increased domestic production - reducing expenditures on imports increasing revenue from exports and potentially create new jobs. The USDA/NIFA SBIR Program has prioritized Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management as part of the 8.7 Aquaculture topic. We believe that our platform technology represents an innovative approach to develop low-cost rapid and easy-to-use diagnostic tests against the common and pervasive Salmonid pathogen. Our technology combines the necessary performance without sacrificing the core-values required by end-users to address this unmet need. The “best” solution is the one that people will use; we achieve this through our patented platform technology that allows the cost-effective generation of highly sensitive diagnostic tests that can be implemented pond side without specialized equipment. Project Narrative Overview Gaskiya Diagnostics LLC develops low-cost paper-based easy-to-use diagnostic tests for disease detection for the aquaculture industry. The colorimetric results are rapid simple to interpret and require no expertise or equipment. By offering a simple-to-use technology we put the power of diagnosis directly into the hands of farmers/distributers allowing them to immediately make decisions and take appropriate action without the requirement of specialized equipment. Faster diagnosis leads to faster treatments fewer losses and more food for the world. The current proposal addresses the unmet need of cost-effectively detecting Infectious Hematopoietic NecrosisVirus in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) production facilities. The Big Picture Regardless of species disease is the single largest cause of economic loss as when disease hits it is often catastrophic. As O. mykiss are one of the most heavily farmed species in US-based aquaculture when a crop fails due to disease the impact reverberates throughout the supply chain. To mitigate the risk of disease we propose the development of a pond-side diagnostic biosensor platform for the rapid detection of pathogens common in O. mykiss aquaculture. Our paper-based thermo-stable rapid diagnostic test requires no training or expensive/specialized equipment and provides an easily interpretable colorimetric result within minutes. Low cost high sensitivity and accuracy as well as rapid results facilitate increased monitoring and providing actionable information where it is needed the most. Mitigating the largest risk in O. mykiss aquaculture lowers the barrier for entry and provides US-based aquaculture with the competitive edge that could result in the increased domestic production - reducing expenditures on imports increasing revenue from exports and potentially create new jobs. Responsiveness to USDA/NIFA Priorities Seafood production from the wild is under increased pressure due to overfishing and therefore aquaculture is increasingly an important source of f…