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So after 8 years you’re gonna sell when the clinical trial data is expected to land in the next 12 months? You’ll have waited a very long time to then miss the bus!

Yes - seems clear to me that they are looking for BAMS to take over from, not just complement, PCR testing. I think the market for BAMS could be far larger than most of us have realised.

I thought we would be further alone than we are by now, but I wouldn’t call this “jam tomorrow” - very clear route to market now and won’t be long until sales start.

Wyndrum, I think you're probably right and I still remain very confident in the company, but I do wish they would give us some clarity - as you say, the blackout is frustrating and there is a limit to my patience.

Agent B, we speak about it often and I know they are looking into it!

Yeah I think we are due an appraisal of where we are now and a realistic timeline to market - I feel the **** is starting to be taken a bit now...

“We [the Government] have created an indigenous industry to make Lateral Flow Tests”

Interesting times!

The plot thickens..!

IMHO, it doesn't look like these guy's are here to do PR, they seem a bit more bloody minded and high level for that their strategic advisory feels more like the mark. I imagine PR would still be sub-contracted, though ofc could be wrong.

Also - in my view - they don't really seem to fit the 'vibe' of the firm; they feel more like someone else's hire; government, institutional investor, etc. I just can't quite picture old Al hiring these guys off his own bat; but again, could be completely wrong...

ODX are a manufacturer - not a test developer like Avacta - and wouldn't be breaching an NDA by simply pointing out publicly available evidence that implies there is likely to be high demand for their products.

The CEO got a bit of stick a while back over shareholder communications, so they are a bit more proactive on twitter atm. Hopefully, sooner or later, ours will be too!

"Moderna is launching a trial of a new Covid-19 vaccine as the US biotech group warned that its current shot was less effective in tackling the strain that emerged in South Africa. 

Laboratory tests show Moderna’s Covid-19 jab still works against the variant named 501.V2, which emerged in South Africa, and B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the UK, the company said.

But it warned that the neutralising antibody response to 501.V2 was sixfold lower than to the original variant, raising concerns that immunity to it may wane significantly, particularly in older people."

https://www.ft.com/content/c0c8f72c-e58e-4319-80c4-0db153ad85db

Respectfully, Agent B, there's a reason face masks have been the bread and butter of infection control in the medical profession for the last 100 years.

Coronavirus is spread by aerosol droplets and face masks are highly effective at catching these very-large particles (as opposed to individual virons).

But, regardless of the evidence base (which is *very* strong), the simple aim of trying to prevent further injury and death from this awful virus should be reason enough to accept this minor inconvenience, which really doesn't ask much of us.

Why this has become such a point of contention, especially for commentators in the right-wing press, is truly beyond me - especially as we face the worst death rate in the world, at 100,000+ souls and rising.

Stay safe!

The Financial Times published this article about how the government is gearing up to buy 2 million LFT's a day from UK suppliers - screen grabs here - https://twitter.com/PhilRaynolds/status/1352281488524505091?s=20

The big difference is that Avacta will use the £multi-billion revenues from COVID diagnostics to drive development of its wider pipeline, which is targeting the global antibody market - estimated to be worth £240bn+ per year by 2025 - with a superior product and exclusive intellectual property.

Ching ching!

Was just about to post this but you’ve beaten me too it - all coming together now!

Great summary Unprecedented - I think your analysis is likely correct.

Incidentally, a conversation I had today supports your argument that the validation & procurement of LFT’s is separate from the consortium wing of the project. As I understand it, the professors running the validation process are relatively isolated from the consortium’s activities and are not being kept abreast of its developments. The allusion to a test being ‘validated by a separate team’ in Prof Peto’s recent paper cataloguing their activities would further support this.

Exciting times!

Yes, more negativity please - I am looking for a better entry point for my spread bet and we haven’t dropped very far this morning. Thanks!

In the methodology Rob - they spike negative saliva samples with SARS-COV-2 samples and then PCR them to establish a CT value

Looks like Innova are doing some real damage to the credibility of LFTs - MHRA have blocked their use in schools and the press will start circling now. The government (and Al) need to pull their fingers out now, ditch the junk and start using accurate tests, else they **** this up as well...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/14/regulator-refuses-to-approve-mass-covid-testing-schools-in-england

Yeah - shes waking up...

GKB - I always read that LSTM RNS from August as establishing the relationship between the parties, rather than indicating the start of clinical validation.

I do wonder if that’s since been superseded by involvement in the governments procurement process; the next two RNS’s certainly match the validation structure the government outline.

...was what Al said in the summer presentations.

Given that SAGE and others are warning existing lockdown measures may not lower the R owing to the increased contagion of the new variant, mass testing is the logical technical step to turn to - especially if new, more accurate tests are coming online.

Surescreen are ahead of us in validation so we were always likely to see them win a contract ahead of us, but the government will secure a portfolio of tests - as with t he vaccines - to de-risk supply chains.

Plenty of room for us, should be an interesting few weeks!

"Our partnership is expected to accelerate collaborations with developers of antibodies and other affinity reagents to expand the range of available protein biomarker Affi-BAMS assays for liquid biopsies, cell and tissue-based applications.”

"Over 30 assays are planned for release in Q1 2021."

Sounds promising...