Applied Biosystems Technology Used in Groundbreaking Genetic Research Unveiled at SNP 2005; SNP 2005 Draws World's Top Genetic Researchers

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & LEICESTERSHIRE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2005--

Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) and SNPlex(TM) Genotyping Technology Fuels International Genetic Variation Studies for Common, Complex Diseases

“We are proud to offer complete and flexible solutions for disease association studies -- an area of research that will be central to successfully launching the industry into the era of targeted medicine.”

Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced its technology will be featured this week in numerous presentations at the 7th International Meeting on Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Complex Genome Analysis (SNP 2005) in Leicestershire, United Kingdom.

Researchers from around the world, including the U.S. National Cancer Institute, National Genotyping Center of Spain, and University of Manchester, will present findings on the role of genetic variations in common, complex diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and psychiatric disorders. Presenting scientists used a combination of Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays, SNPbrowser(TM) Software, and SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System for high-throughput genetic association studies.

Using Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays and ABI PRISM(R) 7900HT Real-Time PCR System, the University of Kiel, Germany presented preliminary findings on genetic variants involved in fat metabolism and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.

"As type 2 diabetes becomes an increasing health problem around the world, we have been evaluating the genetic basis of this disease. Our gene association findings show how genes involved in the metabolism of fat may predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes," said Frank Doring, Professor, Molecular Nutrition, University of Kiel. "With Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays, we were able to rapidly design and implement cost effective and meaningful genetic association studies."

In addition, King's College of London used Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays in a large case control study to identify genetic variants associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

"Inflammatory bowel disease is a complex genetic disorder that is often difficult to diagnose and treat. With our study showing mutation of a regulator within a key transcription factor possibly predisposing individuals to inflammatory bowel disease, we hope the field will move one step closer to understanding the genetic basis of this disease and improving diagnosis and treatment," added Christopher Mathew, Professor, Molecular Genetics, King's College of London.

Other research utilizing Applied Biosystems technology includes studies on the role of genetic variation in kidney cancer, stroke, juvenile arthritis, and a range of psychiatric disorders, including eating disorders.

"Applied Biosystems SNP genotyping solutions are the technology of choice for human disease researchers and can be seen in the breadth of studies using our assays, instruments, and software at this prestigious conference," said Catherine M. Burzik, President, Applied Biosystems. "We are proud to offer complete and flexible solutions for disease association studies -- an area of research that will be central to successfully launching the industry into the era of targeted medicine."

About the International Meeting on Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Complex Genome Analysis (SNP 2005)

SNP 2005 is a leading international meeting focused on advanced research and commercial exploitation of genome variation. Coordinated by the University of Leicester, U.K.; University of California, San Francisco, U.S.; and the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the conference is sponsored by various academic and commercial sources, including the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Library of Medicine, EU Projects INFOBIOMED and MOLTOOLS, Merck Research Laboratories, and Applied Biosystems.

About Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Products

Applied Biosystems offers more than two million TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays to provide more robust coverage of the genome for gene-finding and human disease association studies. The line also offers Custom TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays for additional human SNPs and insertion-deletions, as well as support for polymorphisms in other species. These products help eliminate the labor, expense, and bioinformatics expertise previously necessary for generating high quality SNP genotyping data. The assays are part of the Applied Biosystems genotyping solution, which also includes Applied Biosystems Real-Time PCR Systems, multiplexed reagents, and DNA Analyzers.

The SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System provides a flexible, cost effective, and high throughput solution for genotyping projects by enabling large-scale, genomic discovery studies involving hundreds to thousands of SNPs, as well as the ability for researchers to easily design custom assays to study candidate genes.

SNPbrowser(TM) Software, a freely available software tool, provides a comprehensive database of more than five million SNP assays compatible with Applied Biosystems genotyping platforms, as well as numerous annotations and selection criteria useful for the design of disease association studies. The software is available for download at http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser.

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of nearly $1.8 billion during fiscal 2005. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA) is engaged principally in the discovery and development of targeted therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Celera Genomics is leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics. It is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of diagnostic products. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800.762.6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.

Applied Biosystems Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "should" among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Applera Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Applera Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not limited to (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on the development and customer acceptance of new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (3) Applied Biosystems' dependence on the operation of computer hardware, software, and Internet applications and related technology; (4) unproven use of genomics information to develop or commercialize products; and (5) other factors that might be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law.

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TaqMan Assays: The PCR process and 5' nuclease processes are covered by patents owned by Roche and by patents owned or licensed to Applera Corporation. Further information on purchasing licenses may be obtained from the Director of Licensing, Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, California 94404, USA.

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