Applied Biosystems Appoints Catherine M. Burzik Executive Vice President.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

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FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 2003

Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced that Catherine M. Burzik has been appointed Executive Vice President of Applied Biosystems and a member of the Applera Management Executive Committee, effective September 2, 2003. She will report to Michael W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., President of Applied Biosystems.

Ms. Burzik has been president of Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a Johnson & Johnson Company, has annual revenue of $1.1 billion and provides instruments, assays and consumables to the clinical laboratory and transfusion medicine markets. Ms. Burzik had a staff of 2,800 people and held commercial responsibility for North America as well as global responsibility for research and development and operations.

In this new position at Applied Biosystems, Ms. Burzik will be responsible for global commercial activities, including the product management organizations (DNA Platforms, Discovery Proteomics and Small Molecule, and Knowledge Business), sales and service, marketing, business development, and strategic planning. Other functions, including research and product development, operations, finance, and legal affairs, will continue to report directly to Dr. Hunkapiller.

"I am delighted to have Cathy join our executive management team," said Dr. Hunkapiller. "Cathy has an outstanding record in growing complex, technology-intensive businesses as well as first-rate leadership and communication skills. I look forward to partnering with Cathy as we manage Applied Biosystems for growth and profitability and for continued leadership as a provider of innovative research tools for the life sciences."

Tony L. White, chief executive of Applera, said, "I am pleased that the management strength for which Applied Biosystems is known will be enhanced. The growth of the global Applied Biosystems organization over the last several years and the increasing complexity of its products and customer needs have inevitably made the business more challenging to manage. Cathy is a proven senior-level executive, with relevant experience in managing global instrument- and consumables-based health care businesses. Working with Mike, she will among other responsibilities review and augment our business processes and strategies so that we execute effectively and take advantage of the many opportunities we see for the Applied Biosystems business."

Ms. Burzik became president of Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics in 1998. In addition to the responsibilities mentioned above, she represented the J&J diagnostic business at The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), the trade organization for manufacturers of medical devices, diagnostic products and medical information systems, and was active in shaping public policy issues related to the safety of the blood supply.

Previously, Ms. Burzik was general manager and vice president of Critikon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company that provides hospitals with proprietary blood pressure monitoring technology. Earlier in her career she held executive positions with Eastman Kodak, including general manager and vice president of corporate marketing; CEO and president, Kodak Health Imaging Systems, Inc.; and general manager, Electronic Imaging Products. Ms. Burzik also served on the Board of Directors of Cordis Corporation. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics and has taken post-graduate courses in software engineering and business management.

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 $1.7 billion during fiscal 2003. 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(SM) 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.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "plans," and "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 of new products; (2) uncertain ability to integrate new personnel successfully into the management group; and (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.