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Flyttr will build the first U.S. pest biosecurity platform in San Antonio to speed responses to critical pests, like the\u00a0screwworm fly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo courtesy of USDA<\/p>\n
A large-scale biosecurity platform is being built in San Antonio to boost the nation\u2019s capacity to fight critical pest threats like the screwworm fly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Flyttr<\/a>, a global biosecurity company, is building what it says is the first U.S. biosecurity research, development and countermeasures platform in the city. It will boost the ability to detect, understand and react to expanding pest threats ranging from disease-spreading mosquitoes to the flesh-eating pest threatening livestock production.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAs screwworm shows us, we have no time to lose to bolster resilience to these threats. And unprecedented effort requires strong partnerships,\u201d Flyttr CEO Grey\u00a0Frandsen said. \u201cWe could have no better host and partner than the City of San Antonio nor a better champion of the vision than our federal partners within the U.S. government. It\u2019s game time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> After finding first new case of screwworm, Texas ranchers dusting off a game plan from the ’60s<\/a><\/p>\n Flyttr already operates at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute but the 130,000-square-foot facility on the East Side will mark its first solo footprint in San Antonio. It is expected to immediately add more than 50 research and development, engineering operations and support jobs. As the program scales up that number should exceed 100.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio Express News Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n San Antonio was chosen because of its long legacy as a hub for national and agricultural security, the company said. The city\u2019s robust research institutions, biosafety infrastructure and workforce anchored by the Texas Biomedical Research Institute were all points of attraction.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cFlyttr\u2019s investment in a new San Antonio research and manufacturing facility is an exciting next step forward in our efforts to combat New World screwworm and strengthen our region\u2019s biotech innovation ecosystem,\u201d said Larry\u00a0Schlesinger, president and CEO at Texas Biomedical Research Institute. \u201cTexas Biomed is proud to partner with Flyttr to help address this urgent challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Sterile flies are central to screwworm response<\/p>\n Sterile flies have been crucial in the fight against the screwworm fly, as the sterile male flies mate with\u00a0screwworm flies that then lay eggs that never hatch. Without that effort, the hatched larvae burrow into animals and feed on their flesh.\u00a0<\/p>\n The biggest challenge in combating the flesh-eating pest since it returned to the U.S. in June has been the shortage of sterile flies and production capacity<\/a>. Flyttr said its new facility will speed up the ability to move such countermeasures from concept to production in months rather than years.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n