Unlocking the power of Alpha-Gal immunity to help mitigate parasitic infestation in fish and poultry.
The collaboration between startup microXpace and Lallemand Animal Nutrition has reached a significant milestone as both partners prepare to enter the product development phase for the promising Alpha-Gal-based technology. The production of Alpha-Gal antibodies, triggered in response to microbiota expressing the Alpha-Gal glycan, has revealed to play a vital role in recognizing and binding pathogens’ surfaces. This powerful technology offers new possibilities to help maintain animal health through supporting resilience to infectious diseases affecting aquaculture and poultry production worldwide. The successful proof of concept stage of the microXpace-Lallemand partnership has led to the identification of a broad range of parasite targets, paving the way for the development of an Alpha-Gal-based product aimed at enhancing resilience against major parasitic diseases prevalent in the aquaculture and poultry farming industries.
Following on the heel of this success, the partners enter now a product development phase which entails production upscaling and further in vivo testing in target species. The collaboration demonstrates a seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies and animal nutrition expertise, forging a path towards pioneering nutritional health solutions to help address emergent fish and poultry parasite outbreaks worldwide.
What is Alpha-Gal Immunology?
Alpha-Gal antibodies play a crucial role in recognizing and binding Alpha-Gal on the surface of pathogens. These antibodies can activate lysis of the targeted parasite and other pathogens. Thus, the stimulation of Alpha-Gal immunity by microbiota provides protection against a broad range of disease agents that express the Alpha-Gal glycan on their surface (e.g. .-Plasmodium sp., Mycobacterium sp., Borrelia sp., Trypanosoma sp. and more). The production of Alpha-Gal antibodies by the host is triggered in response to microbiota that express the Alpha-Gal glycan. This happens only in animal groups that do not produce Alpha-Gal themselves such as fish, birds and humans.
MicroXpace aims at harnessing the potential of Alpha-Gal immunity in fish and poultry species through the use of natural microbial-based solutions which are applied in-feed and enhance the immune response to a broad range of pathogens especially parasites. This powerful technology was patented by microXpace in 2021 in collaboration with INRAE and offers new possibilities for enhancing animal health. In turns, it helps animals being more resilient towards infectious diseases presentin aquaculture and poultry production worldwide.
More than a year ago, Lallemand and microXpace joined forces to further expand the potential of the technology and speed-up potential market launch. The collaboration successfully generated additional Proof of Concept, identified a broad range of parasite targets, and successfully tested the safety of the technology while refining product scope. The substantial progress made allows the collaborators to enter product development phase which entails production upscaling and further in vivo testing under controlled laboratory as well as industrial conditions.
This milestone marks an important step in the partnership, aiming towards bringing an Alpha-Gal-based product to the market, with the shared goal of enhancing resilence against major infectious diseases prevalent in the fish and poultry farming industries in support of animal health and welfare.
