Applied Biosystems/MDS Sciex Introduces New QSTAR(R) Elite LC/MS/MS System That Significantly Increases the Number of Protein, Peptide and Metabolite Identifications.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Instrument Offers New Level of Performance and Fast, Intelligent Data Acquisition for Biomarker Studies

Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, together with its joint venture partner MDS Sciex, a division of MDS Inc. (NYSE:MDZ)(TSX:MDS), today introduced the QSTAR(R) Elite LC/MS/MS System, a new quadrupole time-of-flight (QqTOF) mass spectrometer designed for proteomics and metabolomics researchers discovering protein and small molecule biomarkers from complex biological samples. The QSTAR(R) Elite LC/MS/MS System provides improved sensitivity and speed of acquisition as well as resolution, dynamic range, and mass measurement accuracy, over previous technology for greater depth of analyte coverage and more confident identification of potential biomarkers.

"This next-generation QSTAR system combines higher instrument performance with intelligent data acquisition and processing to enable fast, conclusive compound identification," said Laura Lauman, Division President, Proteomics and Small Molecule Division, Applied Biosystems. "The new QSTAR(R) Elite System has been configured with the recently introduced Tempo(TM) LC and Analyst(R) QS 2.0 Software to increase performance and improve productivity from sample injection through data acquisition."

Andy Boorn, President of MDS Sciex said, "The QSTAR Elite System takes advantage of the new Razor(TM) Detector for improved sensitivity and resolution, LINAC(R) II collision cell and additional hardware changes for improvements in acquisition speed, ion transmission, and robustness. Coupled with the latest software, this system delivers greater productivity for metabolite and protein biomarker discovery."

Analyst(R) QS 2.0 software incorporates enhanced stability for instrument control and data acquisition with new functionality for more intelligent precursor ion selection in MS/MS, including proprietary Dynamic Background Subtraction capabilities and Mass Defect Triggered IDA. Analyst(R) QS 2.0 also contains new tools for 21CFR11 compliance and includes applications-specific software that automates high-throughput workflows for protein and metabolite discovery.

New ProteinPilot(TM) Software option for protein identification and expression analysis supports iTRAQ(TM) and SILAC(TM) reagent workflows. It incorporates the new Paragon(TM) search algorithm and Mascot(R) search engine in a single package that substantially increases the speed of database searches, along with advanced tools for data analysis and visualization. In addition, new MarkerView(TM) 1.1 Software option facilitates metabolomic and proteomic biomarker workflows by aligning data across multiple samples and performing statistical analyses to find distinctive compounds that may be new biomarkers.

The new QSTAR(R) Elite instrument can be configured with the new Tempo(TM) LC system line, combining high precision liquid chromatography with superior ease-of-use. This fully integrated LC/MS/MS system provides a powerful solution for biomarker discovery. As with previous versions of the QSTAR system, the flexible design permits a number of different ESI and MALDI ion sources.

QSTAR(R) Elite LC/MS/MS Systems are expected to be available for shipment in February 2006.

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 MDS Sciex and MDS Inc.

MDS Sciex is the analytical instrumentation and technology solutions division of MDS Inc. MDS Inc. (TSX:MDS)(NYSE:MDZ) has more than 8,800 highly skilled people in 27 countries. We provide a diverse range of superior products and services to increase our customers' speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and disease diagnosis processes. We are a global, values-driven life sciences company, recognized for our reliability and collaborative relationships as we help create better outcomes in the treatment of disease. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 800-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.

Applied Biosystems Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "believe," "should," and "expect," 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 new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (3) claims for patent infringement; 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. Applera, ITRAQ and AB (design) are trademarks and Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark of Applera Corporation in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.

Tempo, ProteinPilot, Paragon, MarkerView and Razor are trademarks and QSTAR, Analyst, and LINAC are registered trademarks of Applied Biosystems/MDS Sciex, a joint venture between Applera Corporation and MDS Inc.

SILAC is a trademark of Invitrogen.

Copyright(C) 2006. Applera Corporation and MDS Inc. All rights reserved.