“When you’re a public company . . . it constrains your strategy and decision making,” she says. “We’re financially solid and independent, and this allows us to grow without seeking external funding.”
“We’ve made some innovations in automation that have revolutionized microbiology,” Triva says, glancing over the vast warehouses and factories outside the window of her office. The new technology revolutionized diagnostics, making it easier to conduct routine tests for viruses and bacterial infections alike. “Before flocked swabs, they used aluminum wires to take nasal samples,” says Triva, grimacing.
A heartbreaking development occurred in 2014, when Daniele died at 54 after a seven-month battle with cancer. Stefania, who started working at the company right out of college and had been director of quality assurance and regulatory affairs, stepped up.
Conotoxins, or conopeptides, are chemicals made by marine snails that live in shallow waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. These snails have beautiful shells that make them prime targets for collectors. Snails use conotoxins to paralyse prey, such as other molluscs.
Swabbers