New Oral Vaccine Shown to Control Lethal Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome

Advanced BioNutrition Corp. (ABN), a leader in providing the aquaculture industry with science-based solutions to improve health and nutrition, announced today that its Chilean strategic partner, Centrovet Laboratories, Santiago, Chile, has obtained provisional registration for a freeze-dried, oral-powder vaccine to aid in the prevention of Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome (SRS) in Chilean salmonid species. The vaccine is delivered in salmon feed by means of ABN's patented MicroMatrix^TM Targeted Delivery Systems (TDS).

SRS is considered one of the most important disease problems in the Chilean salmon farming industry, with economic losses of more than US$100 million in some years. The new oral vaccine is expected to produce effective control of this virulent pathogen. Centrovet's injectable SRS vaccine platform is adaptable in that it can be delivered orally or through direct injections of the vaccine into the immature salmon. It requires follow-up applications during the salmon's period of development and maturation.

ABN and Centrovet partnered with great success for the oral application. The innovative oral vaccine product was developed by Centrovet, working closely with ABN. The oral vaccine takes advantage of ABN's patented MicroMatrix^TM Targeted Delivery Systems. The MicroMatrix^TM technology allows Chilean commercial fish farmers to deliver the antigen in effective and efficient new ways to induce an effective immune response in salmonid species.

MicroMatrix^TM TDS is the result of a multi-year research development effort by ABN. It is the latest advance in precision delivery technologies, offering significant benefits to nutritional scientists, product development engineers, and ingredient manufacturers.

Centrovet scientists developed the specific antibodies produced against the SRS pathogen. They then documented the decline of protection provided by the primary vaccine and determined precisely when to administer the vaccine to the developing fish. This regimen has been incorporated into the overall fish vaccination program used by Chilean fish farmers.

"It is expected that the use of the new vaccine, in conjunction with proper disease management, will significantly reduce the losses due to this SRS pathogen," said David Farcas, CEO of Centrovet. "Importantly, it will also lessen antibiotic use, the subject of much concern in global aquaculture." Losses have been reduced to less than 30 percent using this system.

"The MicroMatrix^TM TDS is ideally suited to deliver the vaccine to aquaculture applications like this one. It offers a bona fide breakthrough to fish farmers around the world¦this is an outstanding partnership effort," said Bill Kirk, ABN CEO.

MicroMatrix^TM uses a patented technology to capture the bioactive ingredient, acting to stabilize, protect and efficiently deliver the product to its final target site of action. In addition to targeted feeding in aquatic applications ranging from fish to shrimp, the system can be used for the delivery of probiotics, omega-3 oils, vitamins, carotenoids, enzymes, and amino acids for human nutrition and industrial applications.

The registration was announced this week at a conference of the Chilean salmon farming industry in Puerto Varas, Chile, moderated by Dr. Jaime Tobar, Centrovet. More than 15 farms were represented. The conference addressed SRS-related issues, including the application of the new vaccine. Dr. Thomas Goodrich and George R. Kohan, ABN, spoke at the conference on the Development and Potential Uses for the MicroMatrix^TM Targeted Delivery System.

Centrovet Laboratories is a Chilean Research & Development company focused on animal health and pharmaceutical applications. Based in Santiago, Centrovet employs 110 veterinarians, chemists, and other scientists who are developing new solutions to major global animal health problems.

Advanced BioNutrition Corporation is a private-held nutritional research and development company, based in Columbia, MD, USA. ABN is a leader in developing functional ingredients, including DHA, to improve the health, nutrition and performance of animals, and new probiotic technologies to improve animal and human health and wellness. In addition to its unique and patented product - MicroMatrix^TM Targeted Delivery Systems - ABN owns the patents, trademarks and rights of use for a number of related technologies.