Alverix Appoints James D. Merselis as President and CEO

Seasoned CEO to Augment Organization, Drive Value and Partnerships
for Clients, Transitioning Assays from the Central Lab to Patient Care
Locations without Sacrificing Quality of Test Results
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Alverix, Inc., an optoelectronics company developing portable
medical diagnostic instruments in cooperation with leading
point-of-care (POC) diagnostics companies, today announced the
appointment of James D. Merselis as President and Chief Executive
Officer. Merselis will also serve as a member of the Company's board
of directors.

"Alverix has a competitive advantage within the growing $5 billion
POC marketplace," said Gary J. Kurtzman, MD, Chairman of the Board of
Alverix and Managing Director in the Life Sciences Group of Safeguard
Scientifics, a provider of growth capital and operational support to
entrepreneurial and innovative technology and life sciences companies.
"We are delighted to have been able to attract an executive of Jim's
caliber to Alverix. Jim has a superior track record of building
businesses and creating value. His extensive industry experience and
expertise will be an asset to Alverix in achieving its fullest
potential and ensuring that its innovative technology is fully and
rapidly leveraged."

Most recently, Merselis served as President and CEO of HemoSense,
Inc. (AMEX: HEM), a POC diagnostics company focused initially on
providing patients and physicians with rapid test results to help
manage the risk of stroke with the drug warfarin or Coumadin.
HemoSense was acquired by Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (AMEX:
IMA) in late 2007 for $265 million. Prior to his tenure at HemoSense,
Merselis served as President and CEO of Micronics, Inc., a
microfluidics company that develops near patient in vitro diagnostic
products for disease diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring. In
addition, he held a number of positions over twenty-two years with
Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics (now Roche Diagnostics).

"Alverix's novel technology has the potential to revolutionize
medical diagnostics and dramatically improve patient care by enabling
more sensitive, affordable, immediate and accurate testing for almost
any health condition, in nearly any setting," said Jim Merselis, CEO
of Alverix. "I am honored to join the Alverix team of seasoned
engineers and talented scientists, many whose pedigree and experience
comes from more than 30 years at Hewlett Packard, as well as the
Company's investors and advisors to drive value and build
collaborations with corporate partners."

Jim Merselis, along with other members from Alverix, will be
attending the upcoming American Association for Clinical Chemistry
conference in Washington, DC from July 27-31, 2008. The AACC is an
international scientific / medical society of clinical laboratory
professionals, physicians, research scientists and other individuals
involved with clinical chemistry and related disciplines.

About Alverix

Alverix is a private optoelectronics technology company developing
next-generation medical diagnostic products using its proprietary
technology, combining its partners' analytes with its imaging
capabilities to provide rapid, accurate and portable
diagnostics. Alverix was spun out from Avago Technologies, a leading
supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial
and consumer applications, and is building upon a 30-year legacy with
Agilent Technologies and Hewlett Packard in optical sensors, image
processing, software and signal enhancement algorithms. Alverix is a
portfolio company of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE), a
provider of growth capital and operational support to entrepreneurial
and innovative technology and life sciences companies; and New Venture
Partners LLC, the global venture capital firm dedicated to corporate
technology spinouts that provides a bridge between technology
corporations and traditional venture capital through its unique,
hands-on approach. For more information about Alverix, please visit
www.alverix.com.

Business Contact:
Alverix, Inc.
Beverly Cormier, VP Business Development
619-318-0303
or
Press Contact:
Gregory FCA
Meredith Glanzmann
610-642-8253 x112
Meredith@gregoryfca.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008