From Innovation to Impact: Rutgers Advances Disease-Resistant Oysters
Already adopted in the United States, Rutgers' disease-resistant oysters are now expanding into Canada to support shellfish farmers facing disease-related losses
What began in a laboratory at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, may soon help secure the future of oyster farming across Canada and strengthen the availability of a sustainable source of seafood for Canadian consumers.
The Rutgers Office for Research has executed an exclusive license between the university and Atlantic Aqua Farms (AAF), granting the company the rights to distribute Rutgers-developed disease-resistant oyster broodstock to Canadian hatcheries and farmers.
These oysters, developed by Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Distinguished Professor Ximing Guo and his team, will help accelerate the adoption of the technology among growers facing substantial losses from disease outbreaks.
“This was the first year that oyster seed from Rutgers’ strains is being exported to Canada, providing a pathway for Canadian farmers to access improved, disease-resistant oysters at a time when they urgently need support,” said Guo. “Canadian oyster farmers have suffered major losses from diseases, and the new license agreement allows Atlantic Aqua Farms to distribute Rutgers broodstock to them. The strains we developed have strong resistance, and triploid oysters produced from these strains may offer both fast growth and disease resistance in Canadian waters.”
According to Guo, Rutgers' broodstock has performed well in Maine, where it accounts for more than 90% of the oyster seed. The Pine Tree state borders Canada and has a similar environment, and Guo expects similar results with our neighbors to the north.
From Rutgers Lab to U.S. and Canadian Waters
The Canadian agreement builds on decades of oyster research at Rutgers.
Guo, an Honored Life Member of the National Shellfisheries Association (USA) and director of Rutgers’ Shellfish Genetics and Breeding Program since 1998, has been working with oysters since his undergraduate years in the 1980s. In 1993, he and Stan Allen invented tetraploid oysters (containing four sets of chromosomes), which transformed oyster aquaculture worldwide. In fact, tetraploid oysters are used to produce triploid oysters, which now make up over half of the global oyster production.
“Oysters have been farmed for more than 2,000 years, dating back to Ancient Rome, and they remain central to the culture and economy of many coastal communities around the world,” said Guo. “They also play a critical ecological role: oysters filter the water, improve water quality, and build reefs that create habitat for countless other species.”
Guo’s research focuses on the biology and genetics of molluscan shellfish—especially oysters, clams, and scallops. He and his team strive to improve oyster aquaculture by studying how they grow, reproduce, and survive in the challenging conditions of estuaries, and how their genes and evolutionary history shape their biology.
“One of our major achievements was decoding the oyster genome and cataloging its genes,” said Guo. “To our surprise, oysters have about 50% more genes than humans, and their genes are roughly ten times more variable. This large and highly diverse gene set helps oysters adapt to the constantly changing conditions of coastal environments. It also explains why oysters are extremely sensitive to inbreeding—a discovery that shaped our breeding strategies.”
Oysters, according to Guo, produce high‑quality seafood with no feed, no pesticides, no fertilizer, no freshwater use, and no land conversion. They clean the water, and the farming gear provides habitat for other species. He believes aquaculture is the future of seafood production, and oyster and bivalve aquaculture will be at the forefront of that future.
“I studied aquaculture as an undergraduate in China, where it has a long history and is deeply woven into the culture,” he said. “I became convinced that as land resources become increasingly strained, aquaculture holds enormous, untapped potential for supporting food security and human health. Oyster aquaculture—and bivalve aquaculture more broadly—is one of the greenest major food production systems.”
In Canada, oyster aquaculture produces approximately 15,000 metric tons per year, with an annual value of over $66 million, according to 2023 data. The demand for disease-resistant oysters is high; according to the company, AAF immediately received orders for well over 50 million of the Rutgers-developed oyster seed, and made operational changes to hatchery production to produce and export more than 100 million of the seed to Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. This volume of seed still did not meet the demand from oyster farmers in these provinces.
“Atlantic Aqua Farms is excited to have the exclusive opportunity to distribute the breeding materials from Rutgers disease-resistant oysters, developed by Dr. Guo, to other hatcheries in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick,” said Meredith White, PhD, Director of Hatchery Operations at AAF.
“Hybridization of the Rutgers Haskin NEH® MSX- and Dermo-resistant oysters with local Canadian oysters has the potential to produce seed that are resistant to MSX, Dermo, and Malpeque Disease, an oyster disease endemic to Atlantic Canada. For the current 2026 season, Atlantic Aqua Farms has already completed a successful project to produce and import triploid oyster seed produced with Rutgers Haskin NEH® and Maine broodstock. This project has offered hope to over 50 PEI and New Brunswick oyster growers who are reeling from the MSX and Dermo crisis, which began in 2024,” added White. “These seed have performed extremely well thus far, and we are now very excited to evaluate the performance of seed produced with Rutgers Haskin NEH® crossed with PEI oysters in 2027.”
Technology Transfer Powers Commercialization
“This licensing agreement would not be possible without the outstanding work from the Office for Research, especially its Technology Transfer team,” said Guo. “Their expertise, dedication, and willingness to go the extra mile are crucial in bringing these technological advances to oyster farmers. We truly appreciate the professionalism, collaboration, and consistent effort they bring every day.”
“We are proud to support researchers like Dr. Guo, whose work is critical in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, MBA, executive director of the Technology Transfer unit within the Office for Research. “We have long collaborated with Dr. Guo, from patenting his innovations to commercializing them with license agreements such as this one with Atlantic Aqua Farms. Our team is excited to see what Dr. Guo and his team accomplish next.”
“Rutgers research serves the common good of New Jersey and beyond,” said Michael E. Zwick, PhD, senior vice president for research at Rutgers. “The Office for Research is here to support the incredible work conducted by researchers like Dr. Guo so that they can focus on addressing the challenges that affect the world. This license agreement, executed by the Technology Transfer unit, is emblematic of our role at the nexus of academic research and innovation, industries, and the issues facing us all.”
To learn more about how the Office for Research supports the work of Rutgers researchers, visit research.rutgers.edu.
