Quick buffers, here are the numbers and mysteries of the Allum company
Facts, numbers and contradictions of Allum, the company from Merate (Lecco) which claims to have developed rapid tampons with a result in 3 minutes. But the Corriere della Sera discovered that …
They are less reliable, but fast. And they could make a difference in handling suspected Covid at school (or in large companies). We are talking about rapid swabs, that is the tests that search for antigenic, the virus proteins in respiratory secretions, developed among others, by companies such as Menarini and Abbott.
In recent weeks, however, one test in particular has made a lot of talk about itself, promising results in just 3 minutes. It is called Daily Tampon and is produced in Allum, a company in Merate, controlled by Stema. But an investigation by Corriere della Sera reveals that Allum's promises are unlikely to be kept.
Let's go step by step.
THE ALUM TEST
Among the Italian companies that have developed rapid pads is the Allum di Merate (Lecco), 100% owned by Stema Srl , a company founded in 1999 and a business partner in the field of technologies and automation. Stema is owned by the Magni family (60% of the company is controlled by Daniele Magni, the remaining 40% is divided equally between Marta Magni and Stefania Magni).
The Allum test, which is called Daily Tampon, is able to provide an answer in just 3 minutes by detecting the antigenic from saliva. It was created, he writes for Il Sole 24 Ore , in collaboration with the University of Sannio.
THE NUMBERS OF ALUM
Allum, in 2018 (according to the latest financial statements filed), recorded total revenues of 117,896 euros, a slight decrease compared to 231,319 euros in 2017, against production costs of 211,479 euros. The company closed with a loss of 121,653 euros, an improvement on the 2017 loss of 223,786 euros.
HOW THE TEST WORKS
But let's get back to the test. Daily Tampon is simple to carry out: just collect a sample of saliva with a cotton swab. The joint use of three reagents, in contact with the swab, will reveal whether you are positive or not. As a gravidana test: two strips positive, one negative. The test, according to Allum, could therefore represent a real revolution for schools, but also to regulate access to closed places such as cinemas and theaters.
TEST NOT VALIDATED
Attention, however, the test is not yet validated. The ministry of health said that the test in question "has not yet been validated by the ministry of health", and that research and study on rapid tests is ongoing.
THE WORDS OF THE SUPERIOR INSTITUTE OF HEALTH
The Higher Institute of Health also clarified the issue of tests, as reported by Corriere della Sera : "the diagnostic method recognized and validated by international organizations to reveal the presence of the Sars-CoV-2 virus in an infected individual, and therefore the most suitable tool for a suspected case is a molecular assay based on the recognition of viral nucleic acid (RNA) by means of an amplification method (Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR) carried out on a sample of respiratory secretions, generally a nasal swab. pharyngeal ”, the Institute said, clarifying that“ rapid diagnostic tests have been developed and are also in continuous technological evolution to improve their performance, which detect the presence of the virus in infected subjects ”.
THE BLUFF ACCORDING TO THE INVESTIGATION OF THE CORRIERE DELLA SERA
But in this story, it is not just the waiting for validation that the test has yet to meet. According to an investigation by the Corriere della Sera , which heard various protagonists including the Association of small businesses (Api) of Lecco, which organized the communication, those of Allum “have made fun of us”. Because? The shadows are many.
THE QUESTION OF VALIDATION
Let's start with the question of validation. “We passed all the tests of the Ministry of Health”, said Stefania Magni, owner of Allum, denied directly by the Ministry of Health.
WHO BORN THE QUICK PAD?
Even the authorship of the test is not of Allum, according to what has been reconstructed by Corriere con Api di Lecco. “In fact – they say -“ the legal responsibility for this project lies with the spin-off ”, that is the company Genus Biotech of Benevento indicated in the official press releases precisely as a“ university spin-off ”, ie a rib of the University of Sannio. «Mrs. Magni – adds the communication manager of the API – had only the idea of the fast buffer. We were asked a favor and we helped them to communicate »”, writes the Corriere della Sera .
SHADOWS OVER GENUS
Even on Genus, however, shadows and suspicions fall. “Genus Biotech is classified as an innovative startup, it receives public contributions. Unisannio does not even have a share while Professor Pasquale Vito (of the University of Sannio, ed ) owns 61% and the rest (39%) is in the hands of the family of Piero Porcaro, an entrepreneur from Ceppaloni (Bn ) at the head of a group of biotech companies. Porcaro, married to Maria Carmela Mignone, councilor (Innovation and Relations with the University) of the Municipality of Benevento led by the mayor Clemente Mastella, was recently involved with 33 other suspects in an investigation by the local prosecutor on the pollution of rivers and management of purifiers. But in the documents of Genus Biotech authorized by Unisannio and accredited to the Ministry of University and Research, Porcaro is not mentioned, but Ettore Varricchio, a professor of anatomy, who has never had an action, is indicated as a partner. In summary: Vito has the scientific paternity of the salivary swab, a qualified entrepreneur friend (Porcaro) already at home and yet he allies himself with a decotta company in Brianza because the owner had the idea ", writes the Corriere, wondering:" You wanted to keep the deal in Benevento under cover using the Allum in difficulty which would have recovered bank credit as a counterpart? ".
LITTLE EXPERIENCED TEST
Allusions aside, however, the test admits Pasquale Vito reached on the phone by the Corriere was tested only on 100 people and "with those numbers you go nowhere, they are not enough to establish the effectiveness of a test", admits the teacher.
And when asked how he met Stefania Magni, Vito replies: “I think he saw me on Rai news 24 because we with Genus had already developed a kit for tampons. But I have no written relationship with Dr. Magni; only telephone or skype conversations ". And he adds: “I found myself in the midst of this – adds the teacher – I do not agree at all on the timing of the production but if you ask me if this principle works, I say yes. However the product is still prototype ”. Therefore, the test that should be ready to make the revolution is still in the prototype phase.
THE DISRUPTIONS OF THE MAGNI
Stefania Magni, owner of Allum, also denied what she said at the press conference to Corriere by presenting the test. “Allum will never produce these tampons and has nothing to do with any of this,” said Magni. Too bad that the press release was titled: "The Allum of Merate ready to produce 20 million tampons".
WHAT ARE QUICK PADS
Daily Tampon aside, quick tampons do exist. And some companies in the sector are working on it. These are swabs that are carried out in the airports of Rome, for example, are useful tests to identify, in a few minutes, infected people who have a high viral load and therefore those who should be more infectious. It is a test that looks for virus proteins and antigenic substances in the respiratory secretions.
FAST SWABS AT SCHOOL IN LAZIO AND VENETO
This screening option is adopted in the schools of Lazio and Veneto to avoid, in case of suspicion, blocking and paralyzing the institutes waiting for swabs which, although more reliable, communicate the result in 24-48 hours. Thinking of carrying out “classic” swabs in schools would be somewhat complicated.
THE SWABS OF MENARINI AND ABBOTT
Among the quick swabs is that of Menarini , who would give the result in 12 minutes. It is a nasopharyngeal swab that searches, like that of Allum, for the proteins of the virus, or the antigenic ones. Same principle as Abbott's rapid swab, the company that was chosen by the Government and Arcuri for the supply of serological tests for the epidemiological investigation. The result, with the Abbott test comes in 15 minutes.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/tamponi-rapidi-ecco-numeri-e-misteri-della-societa-allum/ on Tue, 22 Sep 2020 05:20:48 +0000.