The United States is moving to build greater domestic capacity to respond to biological threats from pests, as Flyttr announced plans for a large-scale pest biosecurity research, development and countermeasures platform in San Antonio, Texas. The facility, which will exceed 130,000 square feet, is designed to give the US and its allies a standing capability to research, develop, manufacture and deploy countermeasures against pests that can threaten agriculture and public health. Flyttr expects the initiative to create more than 50 jobs initially, with employment rising to over 100 as the platform expands.
The company, headquartered in Radford, Virginia, is developing the platform with partners including the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The project comes as the US confronts the return of New World screwworm, a livestock pest that was eradicated from the country in 1966. Its confirmation in a Texas calf in 2026 marked the first US detection in nearly six decades, renewing attention on the country’s ability to respond rapidly to high-impact agricultural pest threats.
Screwworm Puts Domestic Capacity in Focus
Flyttr’s first major focus will be New World screwworm through FastFly, an accelerated manufacturing programme intended to increase the supply of American-made sterile flies for the USDA-led national response. The sterile-insect technique has long been used to control livestock and agricultural pests. By producing sterile insects and releasing them into affected areas, programmes can reduce the reproductive capacity of pest populations and support wider eradication efforts.
For Flyttr, the screwworm programme also illustrates the strategic value of maintaining domestic production capabilities before an agricultural emergency escalates. “Pest biosecurity is national security. This new pest biosecurity platform in San Antonio, the first of its type, will help the U.S. and its allies respond to a range of growing biosecurity threats,” said Grey Frandsen, Chief Executive Officer of Flyttr. “And unprecedented effort requires strong partnerships. It’s game time.”
Building a Broader Pest Defence Platform
While screwworm is the immediate priority, Flyttr’s planned platform is intended to address a much wider range of threats. The company said the facility will target pests ranging from disease-carrying mosquitoes, including vectors of dengue and malaria, to livestock parasites and agricultural pests capable of damaging US food production.
The ambition is to create an integrated platform spanning detection, research, testing, production and deployment. That could give policymakers and agricultural agencies greater flexibility when dealing with emerging pest threats, particularly where rapid scaling of biological countermeasures becomes critical. The strategy also reflects a broader shift in agricultural biosecurity: preparedness is increasingly being treated as infrastructure rather than an emergency response that can be assembled after a threat emerges.
Texas Biomed Partnership Adds Research Capacity
Flyttr has partnered with the Texas Biomedical Research Institute to develop, evaluate and advance biological solutions for future pest-elimination efforts. As part of the partnership, Flyttr will use Texas Biomed’s laboratories over the next two years.
“Flyttr’s 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’s biotech innovation ecosystem,” said Larry Schlesinger, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Biomedical Research Institute. “Texas Biomed is proud to partner with Flyttr to help address this urgent challenge.”
The combination of research infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and government partnerships could position San Antonio as an emerging centre for pest-biosecurity innovation.
