Adding color to fish

“Our lab was the first in Israel to successfully perform genome editing in food fish, and establish edited lines with enhanced appearance and performance for use in aquaculture” says Dr. Kobi Biran, a researcher at the Institute of Animal Science, about his greatest achievement. His research in genome editing in fish has led to many successes, such as the ability to produce tilapia with a uniform red color, perceived as more attractive in the market, and fish with increased muscle mass to enhance the edible portion and reduce costs.

Will we enjoy higher-quality fish in the future thanks to genome editing without harming nature?

I am confident that with the tools of genome editing, we will be able to produce cheaper fish in the future with enhanced nutritional quality, attractive appearance, high sustainability, and improved taste.

What challenges are you trying to tackle?

The lab focuses on studying the mechanisms that regulate stress and metabolism in the fish brain, with an emphasis on tilapia, which is the most widely farmed fish in Israel and one of the most commonly farmed species in global aquaculture. Stress is a negative factor in aquaculture, as it slows down fish growth, suppresses appetite, increases susceptibility to diseases, and can even lead to significant mortality during farming. Conversely, certain pathways that regulate metabolism in the animal may improve growth rates, increase muscle mass (the edible part of the animal), and enhance feed efficiency. Accordingly, identifying mechanisms that regulate these traits and developing molecular or nutritional tools to control them may improve performance in aquaculture, increase yields, and reduce costs for consumers. Given the high nutritional quality of fish protein and the growing population in Israel and worldwide, we aim to use the knowledge and tools developed in the lab to increase the supply of high-quality, accessible, tasty, and affordable fish protein for consumers.

What motivated you to research this particular topic?

Earth is also known as “The Blue Planet” because most of it is covered by water. As humanity continues to grow, land areas are increasingly being occupied by humans and their essential needs (housing, food production, factories, etc.), and the demand for food continues to rise. Therefore, there is a need for a feasible and effective solution that will reduce agricultural land use to supply accessible and available protein. Furthermore, over the past forty years, intensive fishing has harmed many fish populations but has not increased the supply of fish protein. Aquaculture offers a great practical solution with significant potential to impact the world we live in, and we are engaged in this field with the hope of making a positive difference.

I am deeply grateful to the people who have supported us along the way: Ms. Adi Segev-Hadar, the lab manager, who has significantly contributed to the development of the technology for genomic editing in tilapia and many other research projects conducted in the lab. We also receive tremendous support from Ms. Tatiana Slousman, who is in charge of fish care. Along with the student team, the research in the lab is conducted in collaboration with additional labs at the Volcani Institute’s fishery, the Marine Aquaculture Center in Eilat, and labs abroad.