Aqua Vitae

University of Georgia, 2001 - $16,500

Aqua Vitae Enterprises looked to manufacture, market, and distribute a patented (U.S. Patent #5,593,678) new drug, called Aqua Vitae, that significantly reduces the mortality rate of ornamental and edible fish during the process of handling and shipping from over 50% to under 5%. In the ornamental fish industry, this total loss exceeds $50 million per year. The loss is even larger for the edible fish industry.

In testing, the use of Aqua Vitae has reduced these losses by more than 80% by providing a temporary boost to the immune systems of the fish involved. This E-Team researched the optimal performance and packaging characteristics this industry would seek in such a drug, and developed a plan for bringing it to market.