Agriculture faces significant challenges with disease prevention, a critical issue that burdens the global market with substantial financial losses. Prawn farming, a vital sector within agriculture, is particularly vulnerable to diseases that can devastate livelihoods. The need for innovative solutions in this field is more urgent than ever.
Enter Forte Biotech, a pioneering biotech start-up revolutionising prawn farming with cutting-edge technology. By leveraging advanced biotechnology, Forte Biotech aims to transform prawn farming into a more sustainable and resilient industry, ensuring food security and economic stability for farmers worldwide.
Forte Biotech: Innovating Prawn Farming
Forte Biotech, founded in 2021, is the brainchild of Mr Kit Yong (Science ’18) and Mr Michael Nguyen (Science ’17). The inception of this groundbreaking venture traces back to a pivotal trip to Vietnam, where Mr Yong and Mr Nguyen engaged with local farmers and discovered the escalating challenges they faced in managing diseases within their prawn colonies. The farmers' struggle with disease outbreaks, which led to significant agriculture waste and livelihood uncertainty, highlighted a pressing need for better disease management solutions.
Determined to make a difference, Mr Yong and Mr Nguyen set out to develop a solution that could detect diseases early, allowing farmers to take mitigative actions, manage risks, and farm more sustainably. Their vision was clear: to enable prawn farmers to identify and address diseases before it causes widespread damage, thereby reducing waste and enhancing productivity.
Revolutionising Disease Detection in Prawn Farming
Forte Biotech’s patented Robust Accurate Prawn Infection Detector (RAPID) system employs LAMP PCR (Loop-mediated isothermal amplification polymerase chain reaction) technology to extract DNA and detect diseases among prawns. This cutting-edge system can identify diseases like WSSV (white spot syndrome virus), EHP (enterocytozoon hepatopenasei), and AHPND (acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease) in just three steps, delivering on-site results within 50 minutes. The ability to quickly and accurately diagnose these diseases is crucial in preventing its spread and mitigating its impact on prawn farms.
Additionally, their Aotomatic app includes a comprehensive farm management system that tracks nutrition, water quality, feeding trays, medicine and RAPID Test Results, making farm management more efficient and streamlined. The comprehensive view provided by the app ensures that farmers have all the necessary information at their fingertips, allowing them to make informed decisions and maintain optimal conditions for their prawn colonies.
In November 2022, Forte Biotech took a significant step by making their technologies available to the public through distributing diagnostic kits to small farms. These RAPID Starter Kits enable early disease detection on prawn farms, allowing them to proactively manage diseases and improve the quality of their aquaculture for a more resilient agriculture system in the long run.
Leveraging Industry Support and Funding
The NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP) played a significant role in bringing Forte Biotech’s innovative vision to life. This programme connected the founders with experienced industry experts and provided them with essential intellectual property and incubation support. This six-month programme offered them invaluable opportunities to network and learn alongside other deep tech entrepreneurs, fostering a collaborative environment where innovative ideas could thrive. Such support for entrepreneurship is crucial for start-ups looking to make a significant impact.
Additionally, the biotech start-up secured the Startup SG Tech Proof-of-Value grant, further bolstering their innovative efforts. This grant provided critical funding that enabled them to advance their research and development, bringing their pioneering solutions closer to market readiness.
By leveraging these resources, Forte Biotech was able to develop and implement groundbreaking technologies that promise to transform the industry, making prawn farming more efficient, sustainable, and resilient to disease outbreaks.
Forte Biotech’s Role in Sustainable Agrotechnology
The impact of Forte Biotech’s work extends beyond individual farms. By fostering a network of informed and connected farmers, Forte Biotech is helping to build a community that values and practices sustainable agriculture. This community-driven approach ensures that the knowledge and benefits of advanced technologies are widely disseminated, leading to broader improvements in agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Supporting Innovation with NUS Giving
Forte Biotech’s advancements signify a vital step towards sustainable agrotechnology and food security. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, Forte Biotech addresses immediate agricultural challenges while also contributing to long-term solutions that promote environmental sustainability and economic resilience.
At the heart of these efforts is the concept of technology for the social good, which not only improves quality of life but also creates a positive impact on communities, fostering a more sustainable and equitable future.
We invite you to consider making a gift to help fund research and development in groundbreaking agricultural technologies. By doing so, you can play a pivotal role in fostering a more sustainable and productive future in agriculture through innovations that make a difference.
