Mark Lavery

MATRIX MicroScience was established in August 2000, with a market focus on the development of rapid microbiological tests for the food industry and more recently expanded into the environmental and bio-threat sectors. Current testing methods for the detection of micro-organisms in food are labor intensive and slow, typically taking up to 5 days to obtain a result. For many food types, such as fresh produce and beef, this is of little use. In response to market demand, MATRIX has developed a novel patented system called PATHATRIX. Using RIMS (re-circulating immuno-magnetic separation) technology, PATHATRIX can specifically purify and detect pathogens directly from complex food matrices within hours. For priority cases, the PATHATRIX can be coupled with rapid detection systems to produce a result in as little as 5 hours from point of sample. PATHATRIX employs proven technology at its core that can easily be adopted in any microbiology laboratory, with a minimum of training. Unlike other rapid methods, viable cultures are produced which enable full and detailed analysis of any positive result to be carried out without any further manipulation. PATHATRIX can be used to enhance the performance and reduce the number of 'false positives' of other rapid methods such as PCR, ELISA, chromomeric media etc., and by significantly reducing or eliminating the need for lengthy enrichment and/or selective enrichment steps. The highly innovative Pathatrix Pooling, AOAC-RI approved protocol, provides the customer with dramatic (5x) increase in sample throughput and very significant (>60%) reduction in analysis costs and labor. Sample integrity is maintained 100% enabling the rapid positive identification of individual samples. Linked to rapid methods it provides real-time microbiology for faster product release and incident investigation. Pathatrix has been successfully deployed in real life Salmonella and E.coli O157 outbreaks from contaminated food and has enables food companies and regulatory authorities to rapidly identify the source of contamination.

Part of Banco Santander SA, Pegasus Assurance Group Ltd. is a financial services holding and marketing British company. The company is based in London, UK. Pegasus Assurance Group was acquired by Abbey National Plc on February 01, 1995 for $13.20 million.

Part of 3i Group Plc, Corinth Medical Services Employment Agency Ltd. provides staff, particularly from the professions allied to healthcare. The company is based in Borehamwood, UK. Corinth Medical Services Employment Agency was acquired by 3i Group Plc on October 01, 2000 for $14.64 million.

Part of Corinth Healthcare Ltd., Complementary Care Services Ltd. provides recruitment services for the healthcare industry. The company is based in Crewe, UK. Complementary Care Services was acquired by Corinth Healthcare Ltd. on April 01, 2003 for $1.89 million.

SmartStream Technologies Ltd. provides Transaction Lifecycle Management (TLM) solutions and data management services for back office processing for financial institutions. It also offers business consulting, customer support, customer training, reference data, and implementation services. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

3i Plc operates as an private equity firm and provides investment advice. The company was founded on July 21, 1945 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Part of Prudential Financial, Inc., The Prudential Life Insurance Co., Ltd. is a life insurance company based in Chiyoda-ku, Japan. The Japanese company's mission, as described on their website, is to provide life planning services and support throughout their clients' lives. The company's team of life planners are professionals in the field of life insurance, dedicated to being there for their clients every step of the way.

Part of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd., Coopers & Lybrand International is a company based in Toronto, Canada.