With sea lice costing the aquaculture industry an estimated US$4 billion annually, the Hamburg-based company has developed AquaNabs, a first-of-its-kind nanoantibody treatment, delivered through fish feed, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical and mechanical delousing.
AquaNab, a Hamburg-based biotechnology company, is developing precision nanoantibody technology to treat and prevent sea lice, one of the costliest and most persistent challenges facing salmon farming. The company, backed by Nordic Foodtech VC from Finland, is the first in the world to apply alpaca-derived nanoantibodies through fish feed, with research demonstrating that the nanoantibodies called AquaNabs can cross the fish’s intestinal barrier and enter its bloodstream.
This breakthrough comes as the food industry seeks more sustainable ways to feed a growing global population. Sea lice cost the aquaculture industry an estimated US$4 billion annually in treatment costs, lost production, and fish mortality.
Beyond the economic toll, sea lice pose environmental and animal welfare challenges, raising concerns about chemical runoff , the health of surrounding waters, and the impact of mechanical and chemical delousing methods on fish welfare. As scrutiny from regulators, retailers, and consumers intensifies, producers are seeking more effective, sustainable alternatives.
“Animal welfare and fish health remain the biggest challenges facing sustainable aquaculture, and producers need better tools to protect it,” said CEO Dr. Ruth Tamara Montero, an experienced fish immunologist with a PhD from Germany’s Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.
“Sea lice is just the start. Right now, producers are stuck choosing between costly, stressful treatments and losses from the parasite itself. We want to give them a way out of that cycle, one that protects their fish, their business, and helps secure the future of food.”
The company’s first product is being developed for Atlantic salmon, but the platform is designed to be adapted to bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases across multiple aquaculture species.
AquaNab has secured an investment from Nordic Foodtech VC, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on solving the hardest problems in food and agriculture, to support the development of its technology. AquaNab represents the first investment outside the Nordics for the venture capital firm.
Mika Kukkurainen, Partner at Nordic Foodtech, said, “AquaNab has the potential to transform not only how disease is managed in aquaculture, but how we think about health and resilience across food production. By turning advanced nanoantibody science into a practical, feed-based solution, the team is creating a pathway from breakthrough biotechnology to measurable outcomes in farming: lower losses, healthier animals, and greater efficiency. This is the kind of technology that can reshape an industry.”
AquaNab was co-founded by Dr. Ruth Tamara Montero, Dr. Alejandro Rojas Fernandez, and Gunnar Johildarson in Hamburg with a mission to transform aquaculture through robust, low-cost, and sustainable precision immuno-therapeutics. The science behind AquaNab builds on internationally recognised expertise in nanoantibody development. Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Alejandro Rojas was among the first researchers globally to develop neutralising nanoantibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses.
AquaNab is advancing its lead programme towards finalizing proof of concept while expanding collaborations with salmon producers, feed manufacturers, and animal health companies. The company is currently seeking additional investment to accelerate development of its nanoantibody platform and bring its first products to market.
