Flyttr, formerly known as Oxitec, will utilize Texas Biomed’s San Antonio research facilities over the next two years to engineer next-generation tools based on sterile insect techniques. This collaboration focuses on rapidly pushing back populations of the parasitic fly, which returned to U.S. soil in 2026 following a confirmed case in a Zavala County calf. The pest, which lays eggs in the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, poses a severe risk to both wildlife and livestock.
Texas Biomed and Flyttr Join Forces Against New World Screwworm
After a 60-year absence, the New World screwworm has returned to Texas, prompting a high-stakes partnership between the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and biosecurity firm Flyttr to develop advanced biological suppression methods aimed at protecting the state's livestock and agricultural economy from a $1.8 billion threat.
Cory Hallam, Executive Vice President at Texas Biomed, noted that the institute is mobilizing its resources to meet the urgent biosecurity challenge. Flyttr CEO Grey Frandsen emphasized that the partnership creates a critical research outpost on the front lines of the battle against the infestation. San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones lauded the initiative as a key development for the city’s growing biotechnology sector, highlighting its potential to secure both local livelihoods and national agricultural stability against the resurgent parasite.
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