Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX to Showcase Speed, Throughput and Confidence of Mass Spectrometry at International Industry Conference.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Mass spectrometry continues to gain widespread use for life sciences applications. In the past, access to this technology was primarily through core mass spectrometry laboratories run by highly trained specialists. With newer technology, the speed and accuracy of mass spectrometry is becoming available for an expanding list of applications including drug discovery, biomarker research, food contaminant testing and forensic toxicology. Applied Biosystems (NYSE: ABI), an Applera Corporation business, and its joint venture partner, Sciex, a division of MDS Inc.'s Analytical Technologies business, (NYSE: MDZ, TSX: MDS), will showcase many of these new applications during the 55th annual American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference in Indianapolis, June 3-7.

More than 100 presentations highlighting significant research conducted on Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX instrument systems will be delivered during the conference. These presentations will detail innovative mass spectrometry-based applications for diverse fields such as clinical research, drug candidate screening, drug distribution imaging in animal tissues, proteomics, and contaminant detection in groundwater or food.

Among the highlights, data will be presented by University of Cincinnati and University of Geneva researchers who have had early experience with Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX's recently-announced FlashQuant(TM) Workstation for ultra-fast quantitation of drug compounds and their metabolites. The investigators evaluated the technology for potential use in high throughput drug discovery screening assays and therapeutic drug monitoring studies, respectively. The new platform is expected to be the first commercially available system to combine an industry-standard triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with MALDI technology to deliver an unparalleled level of speed in drug compound screening.

Results being presented will demonstrate the feasibility of applying FlashQuant to high throughput screening (HTS). One advantage of this technology is the ability to directly measure analytes instead of relying upon fluorescent and chemilluminescent indicators, according to the investigators. FlashQuant's analytical time in the studies of one to two seconds per sample approaches the speed achieved in traditional HTS assays.

The conference will also feature a presentation by scientists from the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minn., who will present data on their research collaboration with Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX scientists to develop methods for the rapid measurement of amino acids in human plasma. Amino acid analysis is commonly used for determining inborn errors of metabolism in infants. By applying Applied Biosystems' iTRAQ[R] reagents and mass spectrometers to this test, the scientists were able to reduce the analytical time to less than one-sixth of the time required by traditional methods, for increased throughput and reduced time to deliver test results.

Pediatrix Analytical and Sciex will also present data on their research to develop a new method for measuring thyroxin (T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) from filter paper blood spots. Typically performed on newborns to screen for congenital hypothyroidism, the new method holds promise to be a cost-effective and efficient alternative to the standard immunoassay method.

Several other presentations will detail research results derived by scientists using BioMAP, a software program developed for biomedical imaging and commercially licensed in the field of mass spectrometry exclusively to Applied Biosystems. The BioMAP software application provides processing and display capabilities for mapping the distribution of drugs, metabolites, peptides and proteins in tissue via mass spectrometry imaging. This technology has been shown to hold great promise for the life-sciences industry based upon animal studies that demonstrate in photo-like images, how drugs are distributed and metabolized within an animal or tissue.

The FlashQuant System will be on display at Booth #66 and in rooms 143-144 and 147-148 at the convention center, along with a variety of Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX technologies, including:

* 4800 Plus MALDI TOF/TOF[TM] Analyzer, a new system for proteomics analysis that can identify thousands of proteins in a biological sample, providing an improved platform to better support the larger sample studies that proteomics researchers are pursuing,

* ProteinPilot[TM] Software designed to maximize the information that can be obtained from the combination of the 4800 Plus and Applied Biosystems iTRAQ reagents for more accurate protein detection, easier manageability and broader support for quantitation.

"The science being highlighted during this conference demonstrates the rapidly expanding applications for mass spectrometry that scientists can apply to their research," said Laura Lauman, president for Applied Biosystems' proteomics and small molecules division. "Added speed, throughput and confidence in mass spectrometry are delivering more efficient, more productive research across the life sciences spectrum."

OTHER ASMS HIGHLIGHTS:

Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX Annual Users Meeting

Drawing more than 1,000 attendees annually, the Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX annual users meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 3, 2007. Leaders from industry, academia, and Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX will discuss the applications of mass spectrometry in advanced workflows for drug discovery and development, protein biomarker discovery and validation, metabolomics, food safety testing, environmental analysis, and clinical research, among others.

Keynote speakers include:

* Marcel Hop, senior director, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, on the topic of High Throughput ADME Screening - The Case for Corporate and Vendor Commitment

* Timothy V. Olah, director, Bioanalytical Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb on Quantitative LC-MS/MS-Based Bioanalysis to Support Drug Discovery

Other invited speakers include Anthony D. Whetton, Cancer and Imaging Research School, University of Manchester, Christie Hospital, UK; Mark P. Molloy, Australian Proteome Analysis Facility, Macquarie University, Australia; Jarrod Marto, Cancer Biology Department, Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Richard King, Discovery Group Lead, Merck; and Robert C. Murphy, Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Science Center.

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 and develop new pharmaceuticals. Applied Biosystems' products also serve the needs of some markets outside of life science research, which we refer to as "applied markets," such as the fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, for example in food and the environment. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of $1.9 billion during fiscal 2006. The Celera Group is primarily a molecular diagnostics business that is using proprietary genomics and proteomics discovery platforms to identify and validate novel diagnostic markers, and is developing diagnostic products based on these markers as well as other known markers. Celera maintains a strategic alliance with Abbott for the development and commercialization of molecular, or nucleic acid-based, diagnostic products, and it is also developing new diagnostic products outside of this alliance. Through its genomics and proteomics research efforts, Celera is also discovering and validating therapeutic targets, and it is seeking strategic partnerships to develop therapeutic products based on these discovered targets. 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.

About MDS Inc.

MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 6,200 highly skilled people in 28 countries. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.

About Sciex

Sciex is a division of MDS Analytical Technologies. The Sciex product portfolio offers proven market leadership in mass spectrometry through its joint ventures with two of the world's leading analytical instrumentation and life sciences companies, Applied Biosystems, a business of the Applera Corporation and PerkinElmer Inc. Find out more at www.mdssciex.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," "expect," and "planned," 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) schedules subject to change that may affect the presentations mentioned in this release; (2) dependence on the development and customer acceptance of new products being presented; (3) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies and (4) 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.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Applied Biosystems, AB (Design), Applera, iTRAQ and Celera are registered trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the US and/or certain other countries. FlashQuant, MALDI TOF/TOF and ProteinPilot are trademarks of Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX, a joint venture between Applera Corporation and MDS Inc. Copyright(c) 2007. Applera Corporation and MDS Inc. All rights reserved.