Bay Area cities are taking up the mantle to test their first responders, health care workers and even members of the public for COVID-19 using technology from a Menlo Park company.
Avellino Lab USA, Inc. on March 9 received U.S. Food and Drug Administration validation for its COVID-19 test on an emergency basis. The company, which specializes in gene therapy and molecular diagnostics, especially for rare genetic eye diseases, quickly adapted its technology to develop a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to look at gene markers and the ribonucleic acid (RNA) — snippets of genetic material — of SARS-CoV-2, known commonly as the novel coronavirus. Results can be processed in four to seven hours, Eric Bernabei, chief sales and marketing officer, said by phone on Friday.