Applied Biosystems, Roche Molecular Systems, Bio-Rad Laboratories, and MJ Research Reach Settlement Agreement Regarding Core and Real-Time Thermal Cyclers.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & HERCULES, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (AMEX:BIO)(AMEX:BIOb) today announced that they have entered into a settlement agreement resolving the patent infringement lawsuit originally filed by Applera and Roche Molecular Systems against MJ Research (acquired by Bio-Rad in 2004). The lawsuit was pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

The settlement also resolves patent infringement claims brought by Applera against Bio-Rad and MJ Research for infringement of Applera's Real-Time thermal cycler instrument patent, filed in November 2004 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Stratagene is now the sole remaining defendant in that lawsuit. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

In connection with the above settlements, Bio-Rad's 1998 thermal cycler supplier license relating to Applera's core thermal cycler patents and Roche's PCR patents has been amended to include the MJ Research thermal cyclers that were subject to the litigation with Applera and Roche. In addition, Bio-Rad has entered into a license agreement with Applera relating to Bio-Rad's Real-Time thermal cycler instrument business in the United States and Canada, and a limited license in Europe and Japan.

The settlement also resolves litigation brought by Bio-Rad against Applera for patent and trademark infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2002, and counterclaims by Applera against Bio-Rad. As part of the settlement, Applera has entered into a license agreement with Bio-Rad relating to Applera's capillary electrophoresis business.

"We are pleased to have settled these longstanding litigations with Bio-Rad and MJ Research," said Paul D. Grossman, Ph.D., Esq., Vice President, Strategic Planning, Business Development and Intellectual Property at Applied Biosystems. "Numerous other companies have licensed our patents relating to PCR technology, and we're looking forward to continuing our relationship with Bio-Rad as a licensee of our PCR patent portfolio."

"We are pleased that we have this matter behind us and are looking forward to focusing on supporting our customers," said Bio-Rad Vice President Brad Crutchfield.

Applera Corporation and Roche Molecular Systems originally filed this patent infringement suit in June 1998 against MJ Research relating to certain apparatus and PCR method patents owned by Applera and Roche. A jury decided in favor of Applera and Roche in April 2004. In September 2005, the Court issued an injunction prohibiting Bio-Rad, as the successor of MJ Research, from manufacturing, selling or servicing the former MJ thermal cycler products in the U.S. This settlement allows Bio-Rad to resume manufacturing, selling and servicing these products.

About PCR

PCR, an enabling technology for life science and other research, is a process in which a segment of a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) is copied or "amplified" so that the nucleic acid can be more readily analyzed. In real-time PCR, the amplified DNA is detected during, rather than at the end of, the PCR process, a feature that facilitates greater accuracy in important applications, including gene expression quantitation and genotyping.

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 nearly $1.8 billion during fiscal 2005. The Celera Genomics Group is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of diagnostic products as well as leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. 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 Bio-Rad

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (www.bio-rad.com) is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics. It is based in Hercules, California, and serves more than 70,000 research and industry customers worldwide through a network of more than 30 wholly owned subsidiary offices.

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) risks that licensing arrangements entered into in connection with the settlement agreement may not result in any future incremental revenue to the Applied Biosystems business; (2) risks associated with lawsuits, arbitrations, investigations, and other legal actions with private parties and governmental entities, particularly involving claims for infringement of patents and other intellectual property rights, and the possibility that Applied Biosystems may need to license intellectual property from third parties to avoid or settle such claims; (3) 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.

Various statements made within this press release may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the Company's expectations.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Forward Looking Statements

Various statements made within this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the Company's expectations.

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(C)Copyright 2006. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems and Celera are registered trademarks and Applera and Celera Genomics are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.