China, bilateral cooperation on fish vaccine development

China produces 550 tons of marine fish per year. The production is estimated to grow several times within a timeframe of 5 - 10 years. Bacterial diseases cause losses in fish farming. A long list of bacteria has been isolated, including vibriosis. The pro ject aim is to develop, document and license vaccine(s) against particular diseases that cause problems for the aquaculture industry in China. The specific cause(s) of the diseases need to be confirmed, the antigens need to be identified/characterized, pr ocess technology for the antigens and formulation of the vaccines must be established, as well as clinical tools (challenge and immunological methods) need to be developed in order to evaluate the efficacy of the vaccines. The vaccines will thereafter be documented and licensed, and implemented in the specific region. The entire project period, post establishment, is estimated to 5 years.