February 11, 2002

BATTELLE AND PRIMAXIS TECHNOLOGY VENTURES INC. ANNOUNCE NEW OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY VENTURE - NAME PHILIP W. SCHOFIELD AS CEO OF NEW COMPANY

Columbus, OH -- Battelle and Primaxis Technology Ventures Incorporated (Toronto, Canada) announced today the appointment of Philip W. Schofield as President and Chief Executive Officer of Optimer Photonics, Inc. Optimer Photonics, located in Columbus, was incorporated in July 2001 and is a venture based on technology licensed from Battelle. Battelle and Primaxis are major shareholders in the venture.

The new company is commercializing platform technologies in the areas of materials science and integrated optics for the telecommunications industry.

Battelle has considerable experience in the optics and materials fields, having teamed with NTT and Mitsubishi Corporation to develop the successful Photonic Integration Research, Inc. (PIRI) venture, which was sold for $1.8 billion. Primaxis has global experience in photonic technology commercialization.

The naming of Schofield as CEO of Optimer Photonics signals the attraction of an established industry leader to the new company. He most recently served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Stratos Lightwave, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois. Stratos Lightwave, Inc. is a NASDAQ-listed company, which manufactures a broad line of optical transceivers, interconnects, and compound semiconductor devices in the high-speed data and telecommunications industries. In its most recent fiscal year concluded April 30th 2001, Stratos Lightwave reported approximately $127 million in net sales.

Previously, Schofield served as Vice President, Fiber Optic Products for Methode Electronics, Inc. He holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Cincinnati and an M.S. degree in Electro Optics from the University of Houston.

The integrated optic product concepts for this venture are based on technologies developed by two long-time Battelle research scientists, Dr. Vince McGinniss and Dr. Richard Ridgway, who have accepted employment with Optimer Photonics. McGinniss serves Optimer Photonics as Senior Vice President, Materials, and Ridgway is Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Mert VanderLind, who retired in 2001 as Battelle Executive Vice President, has served as interim CEO while getting the venture established.

"We are excited by the potential of Optimer Photonics and equally excited to attract a leader of Phil Schofield's caliber," said Carl F. Kohrt, Battelle President and CEO and Ilse Treurnicht, Primaxis President and CEO, in a joint statement.

Kohrt added that "Battelle's business model is to develop breakthrough technologies for the marketplace, share in the proceeds of these successes, replenish the organization for the next cycles of science and technology, and give back part of our profits to our communities."

"I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to lead such a gifted team," said Schofield. "I believe Optimer Photonics has leading-edge capabilities with which to make a solid market entry while breaking new ground in optical waveguide technology and photonic integration. I am excited to be part of this outstanding opportunity."

Battelle serves industry and government in technology development and commercialization. It counts as its successes the development of the office copier machine (Xerox), pioneering work on compact disc technology, medical product innovations, and new technologies for telecommunications. Battelle serves clients in more than 30 countries.

Primaxis Technology Ventures, Inc. (www.primaxis.com) invests in leading-edge opportunities in telecommunications, semiconductors, IT infrastructure and advanced materials. Primaxis is headquartered in Toronto, with investee companies located across Canada and the United States.

For more information, contact Battelle Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (614) 424-5544 or by e-mail at delaneyk@battelle.org.