Hybrid striped bass producer Kent SeaTech Corporation, San Diego, California, has won a  U.S. Commerce Department Advanced Technology Program cost-sharing award to develop therapies using naturally occurring bacteriophages and phage-produced enzymes to treat and prevent major bacterial diseases that threaten commercial aquaculture.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Advanced Technology Program has announced 32 new cost-sharing awards for research on highly innovative industrial technologies. A total of 43 companies, including seven joint ventures, are involved in the new projects, which were chosen on the basis of difficulty, technical innovation and the potential for significant benefits to the nation's economy. The ATP is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The 32 new ATP projects span a broad range of key technology areas. Among the areas targeted are: new energy technologies for oil exploration and for fuel cells, new medical diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, improvements in electronics and automobile manufacturing and an improved computer interface for the severely disabled. The new awards represent a total of up to $80.1 million in ATP funding and an industry share of up to $56.9 million, if all projects are carried through to completion.

The ATP supports projects that industry cannot fully fund on its own because of significant technical risks. ATP awards are made on the basis of rigorous, competitive peer review considering scientific and technical merit of each proposal. In addition, awards are based on the potential for broad-based economic benefits, the need for ATP funding, and evidence of a clear commercialization pathway and broad diffusion.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurement, standards and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade and improve the quality of life.

Details of the Kent SeaTech Corporation Project Brief.