Microsynbiotix

Microsynbiotix was a biotechnology company headquartered in Cork, Ireland, founded by Antonio Lamb, Sebastian Cocioba, and Simon Jegan Porphy in 2016. The company was using transgenic microalgae to produce oral vaccines for problematic diseases within the aquaculture industry. The company was planning to apply their oral vaccines to other farming sectors, such as pig production and possibly to humans.

Microsynbiotix had a subsidiary in San Diego with cofounder Antionio Lamb as head of genetic engineering for the edible vaccine. The Cork site was involved in product development from the business side. In 2021, Microsynbiotix was acquired by biotechnology start-up Sundew for an undisclosed amount.

Microsynbiotix's oral vaccines were designed to improve disease management (viral and bacterial), reduce fish mortality rates, and reduce the need for antibiotics for aquaculture food production. Microsynbiotix made their vaccines by building synthetic vaccines and introducing them into microalgae. They were then loaded into bioreactors and grown into fish feed that could be fed to fish in aquaculture farms.

Vaccination technology for fish farming traditionally involved using handheld injections of individual fish. The cost of injecting vaccines is high and may be justified for high-value fish, such as salmon and sea bass. However, it is less practical for high-volume, low-value fish, such as tilapia or shrimp.

Challenges to oral vaccines are palatability and getting suitable amounts of vaccines into the gut of the fish, which is highly acidic and can degrade the vaccine. The company won The Nutreco Feed Tech Challenge in 2017 due to its innovations in the industry.

One milestone that had been reached at that time included the vaccination of juvenile sea bass and the survival of microalgae in the stomach. Another milestone was that it reached the hindgut of the fish and gave an immune response. Microsynbiotix stated that their next steps were to challenge fish with viruses to show the immune response is protective.

Microsynbiotix had planned to work with animal health companies that develop vaccines and delivery platforms. The idea was that animal health companies could engage with the company at an early stage of product development and then license its oral vaccine delivery platform.

Once Microsynbiotix was acquired by Sundew, the company was utilized to facilitate Sundew’s commercialization and its processes.