London organisation announces $6.8m funding for insect bio-solutions firm

A London organisation has announced that it has provided $6.8m in funding to an insect-based biological solutions firm.

Wellcome Trust has provided the funding to UK firm Oxitec, a developer of insect-based biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock.

The funding will be used to scale up programs for Oxitec’s just-add-water Friendly Aedes aegypti technology.

In addition, it will fund a large two-year area-wide pilot project in the São Paulo region in Brazil, allowing Oxitec to pilot these advancements in dengue-prone urban environments.

Grey Frandsen, Oxitec’s CEO, commented: “We are immensely grateful for Wellcome’s partnership and support as we work to make our Friendly™ Aedes aegypti solution universally accessible to communities most in need around the world.

“We are pleased that the Wellcome Trust believes in this vision and shares in our aim to scale this technology as quickly as possible so we can deliver real impact in the global fight against dengue and other vector-borne diseases.”