Applied Biosystems Announces Award Recipients of SNP Genotyping Grant.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 30, 2003

Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced that Rajinder Kaul, Ph.D., Scientific Coordinator, University of Washington Genome Center, Seattle, WA, is the primary recipient of the Applied Biosystems $250,000 SNP Genotyping Grant. The program was originally announced on February 13, 2003. Three supplementary grant recipients were also selected.

Dr. Kaul will receive a grant from Applied Biosystems based on his research proposal to employ a novel method to directly determine complete patterns of DNA sequence variation from a total of thirty chromosomes covering a one-megabase region surrounding the gene that is mutated in cystic fibrosis on human chromosome 7. This effort is expected to provide an extraordinarily rich picture of the patterns of DNA sequence variation that occur between individuals using an approach that complements efforts underway by the International HapMap Project.

Dr. Kaul will receive up to $250,000 in Applied Biosystems products for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping based on the needs of the proposed project. These products may include the Assays-on-Demand(TM) products -- ready-to-use, functionally validated assays for nearly 130,000 human SNPs, or instruments for SNP-based genotyping, including Applied Biosystems Sequence Detection Systems, which enable detection of SNPs using the fluorogenic 5' nuclease assay with TaqMan(R) reagents.

"I am pleased to have received the SNP genotyping grant," said Dr. Kaul. "I believe that our approaches to genotype and identify sets of cloned DNA fragments that capture detailed patterns of sequence variation from multiple individuals over megabase lengths of genomic sequences will greatly facilitate understanding genetic variation in the cystic fibrosis gene region in particular and genomic regions in general. Such long-range genetic variation studies will be important to build models regarding the evolutionary history and population structure of regions in the genome."

The review committee selected three additional proposals for supplementary grants. The supplementary grants, which will consist of a set of Applied Biosystems SNP genotyping products or services to help support each respective project, were awarded to:

-- Dawn Richardson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow from the

laboratory of Chris Jenkinson, Ph.D., Department of Medicine,

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Richardson's proposal was for a project designed to

genotype 500 SNPs in 1,000 individuals of Mexican-American

descent in order to map a region of human chromosome 6 that

has been linked to the development of adult-onset diabetes

mellitus in this population. Dr. Richardson hopes to identify

a gene or genes associated with this important medical

condition.

-- Stephen Sawcer, M.B., Ch.B., a Clinician Scientist from the

laboratory of Alastair Compston, Ph.D., Neurology unit,

University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. His project is

designed to identify genetic factors influencing the

development of multiple sclerosis. Through a collaborative

effort, entitled GAMES (Genetic Analysis of Multiple Sclerosis

in EuropeanS), more than 5,000 multiple sclerosis patients

have been screened and a number of microsatellite marker

alleles associated with the disease have been identified. High

throughput SNP genotyping approaches will be used to identify

DNA sequence variants in specific genes.

-- Sue Rutherford, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow from the

laboratory of Alan Shuldiner, Ph.D. in the Department of

Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, University of Maryland,

School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Rutherford's proposal

was for a study designed to identify a gene associated with

hypertension that has previously been mapped to human

chromosome 2 in individuals of Old Order Amish descent -- a

genetically homogeneous founder population. The project will

use high throughput SNP genotyping to perform fine-mapping of

a one megabase region associated in DNA samples from more than

3,500 individuals from well-characterized clinical populations

of diverse ethnic origins. It is expected that DNA sequence

changes will be identified that are associated with the

development of hypertension.

"We were delighted by the volume and high quality of responses we received for our SNP Genotyping Program," said Dennis A. Gilbert, Ph.D., Vice President, Genomics for Applied Biosystems, and non-voting chair for the SNP Genotyping Grant Review Committee. "As a result, we expanded the grant to help support three additional projects in addition to our primary grant winner. We hope that these grants will help spur research advances in these important therapeutic areas."

The external reviewers for the applications were:

-- David Botstein, Ph.D., Stanford University

-- Kenneth Kidd, Ph.D., Yale University

-- John Richards, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology 

-- Stefan Schreiber, M.D., University of Kiel 

-- John Todd, Ph.D., University of Cambridge

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation comprises two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group develops and markets instrument-based systems, reagents, software, and contract services to the life science industry and research community. 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 $1.6 billion during fiscal 2002. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), located in Rockville, MD, and South San Francisco, CA, is engaged principally in integrating advanced technologies to discover and develop new therapeutics. Celera intends to leverage its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop new therapeutics. Its Celera Discovery System(TM) online platform, marketed exclusively through the Applied Biosystems Knowledge Business, is an integrated source of information based on the human genome and other biological and medical sources. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel 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 is a registered trademark and Applera, Assays-on-Demand, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, and Celera Genomics are trademarks of Applera Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and certain other countries.

TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.