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Innocreate Bioscience Unveils WSSV RP Rapid Test Kit at VietShrimp 2024
Innocreate Bioscience recently debuted its groundbreaking WSSV RP Rapid Test Kit at the 5th VietShrimp Aquaculture International Fair. Held from March 20–22, 2024, at the Ca Mau Convention Center, the event themed “In company with shrimp farmers” served as the premier platform for Innocreate to showcase its latest advancements in disease detection to the Vietnamese market.
The highlight of the exhibition was the unveiling of the WSSV RP kit, a lateral flow immunoassay designed for the qualitative detection of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). As the first rapid diagnostic kit for aquatic animals to be officially registered by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the tool marks a new global standard in field-based diagnostics.
Bridging the Gap: A Dialogue with Aquaculture Asia Pacific
Coinciding with the exhibition, Dr. Jeff Chia-Kai Hsu, CEO of Innocreate Bioscience, sat down with Dr. Zuridah Merican, Editor/Publisher of Aqua Culture Asia Pacific, for an exclusive feature. Their discussion highlighted the critical need for “pondside” precision, as WSSV remains the most severe threat to shrimp farming, capable of causing 100% mortality within days.
“Standard diagnostic tools like qPCR are powerful but require specialized equipment and days of waiting,” noted Dr. Hsu. “Our goal with the WSSV RP kit is to make diagnosis a part of daily farm operations, allowing farmers to act faster, reduce losses, and farm more sustainably”.
Key Features of the WSSV RP Rapid Test Kit:
The kit functions similarly to a COVID-19 rapid test, offering several advantages for farmers in low-resource environments:
- Rapid Results: Delivers visual results on a test strip within 15–30 minutes.
- High Sensitivity: Capable of detecting as little as 0.4 ng of recombinant target protein, ensuring early detection before mass mortality occurs.
- Pondside Ready: Requires no electricity, laboratory equipment, or professional training for use.
- Verified Specificity: Achieved 100% specificity in validation studies, showing no false positives for other major pathogens such as EHP or AHPND.
Impacting the Vietnamese Shrimp Industry
By bringing this technology to Ca Mau—a province responsible for nearly 40% of Vietnam’s shrimp farming area—Innocreate is supporting the nation’s push toward a “green” and sustainable aquaculture value chain. The WSSV RP kit allows for proactive management, such as early quarantine or targeted biosecurity, ultimately protecting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers across the Mekong Delta.
For more information on the WSSV RP Rapid Test Kit and other diagnostic solutions, visit the official Innocreate Bioscience website.
