Applied Biosystems Appoints Lars Holmkvist as President Applied Biosystems Europe.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the appointment of Lars Holmkvist as President of Applied Biosystems' European Region. Mr. Holmkvist will direct and oversee the group's European operations, which includes Europe, and geographies in the Middle East and Africa. He will manage an organization of approximately 1,000 employees and report to Catherine M. Burzik, President of Applied Biosystems.

Mr. Holmkvist, 45, brings over 20 years of medical technology sales and management experience to Applied Biosystems and most recently served as Vice President of Vascular and Cardiac Surgery, Western Europe for Medtronic. Mr. Holmkvist was instrumental in developing and implementing strategies for Medtronic's fast-growing vascular product businesses, and significantly improved its competitive position.

"We are very pleased to have Lars Holmkvist join the senior management team at Applied Biosystems," said Ms. Burzik. "Europe is an important market for Applied Biosystems, accounting in our last fiscal year for more than 30 percent of our $1.7 billion in revenue. Lars is an accomplished executive with expertise in leading complex European organizations, and we look forward to his leadership in taking Applied Biosystems to the next level of success."

"Applied Biosystems is the recognized leader in enabling the comprehensive study of genetics and proteomics in the life sciences, and I am excited to be able to continue to leverage that leadership position within Europe," commented Mr. Holmkvist. "There have been a number of important strategic developments within the company this year, and coupled with a wide range of new products, this presents us with tremendous opportunities at this exciting time. I look forward to turning Applied Biosystems' unique scientific resources and achievements into increased value within the European Life Sciences market."

Prior to his position at Medtronic, Mr. Holmkvist was Vice President, Vascular for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Boston Scientific, where he had responsibility for developing business strategies, product management, sales and service, marketing strategy, business strategy for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Earlier in his career, Mr. Holmkvist held executive positions with Pharmacia Hospital Care, and as a Director of Marketing for Becton Dickinson.

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, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2004. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA) is engaged principally in the discovery and development of targeted therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Celera Genomics is leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics. It is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of 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/.

Copyright(C) 2004. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark and Applera, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, and Celera Genomics are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.