Life Technologies has acquired Matrix MicroScience, a British manufacturer of large-volume, automated sample preparation systems and consumables for the food safety testing industry.

Matrix MicroScience's technology will be added to Life Technologies' existing foodborne pathogen detection workflow. The complementary technologies will ultimately help reduce the cost of testing by more than 50 percent and speed up time to results by hours or days in some cases, resulting in lower inventory holding costs for food producers.

Among the key complementary technologies from the British firm is the PATHATRIX AUTO, a benchtop, sample-prep instrument that isolates and concentrates target bacteria in food samples at high volumes with walk-away convenience. The system is designed to work in conjunction with reagent kits that isolate a variety of pathogens, including Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Cronobacter and Campylobacter. Life Technologies is the leading manufacturer of real-time PCR instruments for the food safety testing market. Its portfolio includes real-time PCR-based detection kits for these same pathogens.