The Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre (SFIRC) has secured over £1.7 million in research funding in 2024 to fund six research projects spanning an impressive range of topics in fish health and aquaculture. Check out the project summaries below:
Project 1. The Role of Photoperiod in Immune Development and Health in Salmon Aquaculture
BBSRC supports this 24‑month study, led by Sam Martin and Jason Holland in Aberdeen, in partnership with Bangor University, and industrial collaborators Mowi and Scottish Sea Farms. With £367k secured, researchers will test how constant‑light regimes disrupt salmon circadian rhythms and immunity. Combining functional genomics with high‑throughput gene expression profiling, the team will assess immune responses and vaccine efficacy before and after seawater transfer—pioneering an integrative approach to optimize light management and bolster disease resistance in Atlantic salmon.
Image Left = Aberdeen’s Jason Holland, Middle = Bangor’s Amy Ellison, Right = Bangor’s Miku Kawahara
Project 2. Cure4Aqua: Curing EU Aquaculture by Co-creating Health and Welfare Innovations
Funded by EU Horizon Europe with £240k for an 18‑month post‑doc in Aberdeen, led by Jason Holland, this collaboration with Epitogen-X and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna exploits genomic novelty of the PKD parasite to design novel vaccines. Using AI‑predicted orphan‑antigen epitopes (EpitoPredikt), ELISA validation and recombinant‑antigen scaffolds, the project advances both lab and field trials to transform disease intervention strategies across EU aquaculture. For more information see project website: https://cure4aqua-project.eu/
Image Tharindu Malintha will conduct the Aberdeen-based research
Project 3. Camelina Omega-3 Oil for Optimal Heart and Gill Health
Funded by BBSRC (£228k), this project is co‑led in Aberdeen by Sam Martin and Marlene Ritchie, in partnership with Stirling University, the Rothamsted Institute and BioMar. Researchers will compare salmon immune function following feeding with GM oilseed‑derived EPA/DHA oils or traditional fish oil in diets. By examining gene expression and inflammatory lipid mediator responses during immune stimulation, it aims to define sustainable, omega‑3‑rich feeding protocols that enhance cardiac and gill health in farmed salmon.
Image Camelina plants will be genetically modified to produce marine-type omega 3 oils (Credit = Image by Bliesgauoele copied under CC BY-SA 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Project 4. Modelling PKD Exposure to safeguard farmed Rainbow Trout (MPERT)
With £240k of funding from the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) backing a 12‑month Aberdeen post‑doc led by Jason Holland, the MPERT project is a collaborative effort with the University of Nottingham, British Trout Association and Kames Fish Farming. This project integrates eDNA and serological methods to map seasonal parasite release and trout immunity. By developing predictive models that link environmental dynamics with host resistance, data‑driven protocols will mitigate PKD outbreaks under climate‑driven conditions. New protocols will replace guesswork, helping farmers time-controlled exposures and reduce climate‑driven PKD losses.
Image Left = the University of Nottinghams’s Hanna Hartikainen, Right = Aberdeen’s Florian Melzer
Project 5. Early Detection of Gill Pathologies in Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture (AquaGill)
A SAIC grant (£201k) backs Sam Martin’s Aberdeen team, including Ela Krol and Alex Douglas, in partnership with Scottish Sea Farms and BioMar. The project leverages a fish gill biobank containing over 700 samples alongside gene‑expression biomarkers and machine‑learning models. Through non‑invasive sampling, it will predict gill health status, test responses to micro‑jellyfish blooms and functional feeds, and enable timely interventions to safeguard salmon welfare.
Image Fish gill examination.
Project 6. Planktonic Drivers of Gill Disease in Farmed Atlantic Salmon: From Mechanisms to Solutions
A three‑year BBSRC‑funded project secured £462k to an Aberdeen team led by Sam Martin (including Ela Krol and Alex Douglas) in collaboration with Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh universities and multiple industry partners. The project will combine eDNA metabarcoding at multiple sites, transcriptomics, aquarium danger-associated molecular pattern assays, mobile exposure trials and GWAS. By integrating environmental, genomic and phenotypic data into a structural causal model, it will reveal planktonic triggers of Complex Gill Disease and inform effective prevention strategies.
Image Salmon cartoon highlights gills and Complex Gill Disease.
