SBIR Phase I: Use of Histone-Like Protein to Assess the Health of Rainbow Trout

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目建议探索一种免疫蛋白的新用途来测量彩虹鲑鱼的压力。目前还没有方便的测试来衡量压力，这是一种经常导致疾病的情况。准确的压力测量将极大地减少疾病损失，疾病损失是鲑鱼水产养殖经济损失的主要原因。HLP-1是一种强效的抗生素免疫蛋白，天然存在于虹鲑鱼的许多组织中。这种蛋白质有望在保护鲑鱼免受疾病侵袭方面发挥关键作用。人们注意到，压力会导致HLP-1水平急剧下降。这个第一阶段的项目将探索使用一种简单的、基于抗体的方法(ELISA法)来测量鳃组织中HLP-1的可行性。该检测方法应具有足够的灵敏度和特异性，可用于低成本、可现场部署的免疫检测原型测试的商业化开发。拟议的技术将用于水产养殖的食用鱼，以及用于观赏鱼、实验室动物和野生鱼类种群的健康监测。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to explore the novel use of an immune protein for measuring stress in rainbow trout. No convenient tests are currently available to measure stress, a condition that often leads to disease. Accurate stress measurements will dramatically reduce disease losses, the major cause of economic losses in salmonid aquaculture. HLP-1 is a potent antibiotic immune protein that is naturally present in many tissues of rainbow trout. This protein is expected to play a critical role in protecting trout against disease. Stress has been noted to cause a dramatic decrease in HLP-1 levels. This Phase I Project will explore the feasibility of measuring HLP-1 in gill tissue using a simple, antibody-based methodology (ELISA). This assay should have sufficient sensitivity and specificity to be used for commercial development of a low- cost, field-deployable, immunoassay prototype test.The commercial application of this project is in the field of aquaculture. The proposed technology will find use in aquacultured food fish, as well as for health monitoring in pet fish, laboratory animals and wild fish populations.