A new set of animals may be coming to Pine Island's Elk Run biobusiness park—pigs. Minneapolis-based biotech business Recombinetics, which genetically engineers animals for biomedical and agricultural purposes, said it is considering moving there and is in discussions with officials involved with the Elk Run project.

Recombinetics is looking for space to raise up to 200 pigs with type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, animals it will sell to large medical device companies for research. CEO and Chairman Scott Fahrenkrug said Recombinetics hopes to get around $2 million through loans or another source that will go toward building the infrastructure.

"It's the right location for us," Fahrenkrug said.

Geoff Griffin, Elk Run's project manager, confirmed the discussions with Recombinetics, but declined to discuss the details.The biobusiness park is one part of the Elk Run project, a 2,325-acre development. The groundbreaking of the first building occurred in November, after a series of delays.

Biotech guru Steven Burrill of Burrill and Co. pledged to raise a $1 billion fund to support the development and assist companies wishing to move there. Last September, Burrill said hoped to close the deal with a sovereign wealth fund by the end of 2010. As of Dec. 31, Burrill said the fund hadn't closed yet.

The project, developed by California-based Tower Investments, is on land that used to be a former elk farm. Plans to keep some of the elk on the property went bad, when federal sharpshooters killed hundreds of them over concern about a fatal brain disease. Tower officials later looked into bringing wild horses onto the property to raise additional revenue, but lost that bid.