ViAqua Therapeutics announces $4.3 million investment

ViAqua Therapeutics, a biotechnology company and developer of an orally administered RNA-particle platform to promote and improve animal health in aquaculture, announced it has completed a $4.3 million round to commercialize and expand its platform. Multinational new investors include S2G Ventures (S2G Oceans & Seafood Fund), Thai Union, and Agriline. Earlier investors Nutreco, Visvires New Protein, The Trendlines Group, and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology also participated in this round. ViAqua was also awarded additional grant funding from the Israeli Innovation Authority.

Financing will support the commercialization of the first product aimed at improving health in shrimp and support the development of additional products to improve aquatic animal health and nutrition.

Using RNA and an encapsulated delivery method, ViAqua will promote shrimp health in the face of viral challenges, including prevalent and devastating diseases which are widespread in shrimp. The mortality rates associated with a viral outbreak can reach 100% within several days of onset, leading to massive financial losses for shrimp producers. Viral diseases have plagued the shrimp industry for decades with little to no effective treatment options. The estimated cost associated with diseases have resulted in an estimated 30%-40% loss in global shrimp production annually.

Historically, the challenge with RNA-based technologies includes the costs of production and efficient delivery in an aquatic environment. ViAqua’s platform technology addresses these challenges through its proprietary production platform and novel encapsulation delivery method.

News of this investment appeared in PR Newswire, Aquafeed, Hatchery The Jerusalem Post, AgReads, Times of Israel, The Fish Site, Hatchery and  Pharmtech Focus.