Collaboration
Vironova AB is to head a collaborative project to develop new technologies and routines for rapid and reliable diagnostics of viruses found in fish and molluscs in Morocco, backed with a grant of SEK 800,000 (€93,000). The Stockholm-based company will work with the Moroccan Institut National de la Recherche Halieutique (INRH), and Norwegian Patogen Analyse AS.
The project combines INRH’s expertise in aquaculture and fish pathology, and its sample collection network, Patogen’s strong expertise in high sensitivity real-time polymerase chain reaction virus diagnostics with Vironova’s virus detection software technology that offers rapid identification of multiple viral strains using transmission electron microscopy.
In addition to developing methods for routine diagnostics, a further aim of the project is to provide an effective front-line method for the discovery of new or unknown viruses that infect wild and farmed fish.
“This is a great opportunity for Vironova to work with such highly regarded organisations as INRH and Patogen, and a further sign of confidence in Vironova’s virus detection and analysis technology,” says Mr Mohammed Homman, founder and CEO of Vironova.
The potential market for virus detection in aquatic animals is substantial. Virus disease is a growing problem as the aquaculture industry expands. It has grown during the past 50 years from a production of less than a million tonnes in the early 1950s to more than 59 million tonnes in 2004, corresponding to a value of $70 billion. In Norway, the aquaculture industry suffers losses of an estimated NOK 2 billion per year in export sales due to viral diseases.
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