Applied Biosystems Completes Equity Investment in VisiGen Biotechnologies.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & HOUSTON -- Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, announced today that it has completed its previously announced equity investment in privately held VisiGen Biotechnologies, a next-generation sequencing technology company. Concurrent with its investment, Applied Biosystems also entered into a scientific collaboration agreement with VisiGen. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

The VisiGen investment is part of Applied Biosystems' strategy of maintaining its leadership position in DNA sequencing by complementing its internal investments in new and existing sequencing technologies with promising next-generation approaches.

VisiGen's technological approach to DNA sequencing is based on the ability to analyze a single molecule of DNA in real-time, potentially reducing the cost of sequencing drastically while significantly improving throughput over existing commercially available technologies. Although VisiGen's technology is at an early stage of development, it could provide a quantum leap in scope and scale of research aimed at uncovering the genetic basis of common diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

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 (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/.

About VisiGen Biotechnologies, Inc.

VisiGen, a privately held company based in Houston, TX, is developing a radically new method of sequencing DNA that is projected to completely sequence a human genome in a day for the long-coveted target mark of $1000. Its technology is distinguished from other next generation sequencing technologies in that it exploits the natural process of DNA replication in a way that enhances accuracy without drastically impacting efficiency. VisiGen's approach involves engineering both polymerase and nucleotide triphosphates to act together as direct molecular sensors of DNA base identity in real-time. The massively parallel nature of this technology enables sequence acquisition at rates approaching 1 million bases per second per machine. Information about VisiGen Biotechnologies, Inc., is available at http://www.visigenbio.com.

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) rapidly changing technology and dependence on the development and customer acceptance of new products; (2) sales are dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (3) 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; (4) Applied Biosystems' dependence on the operation of computer hardware, software, and Internet applications and related technology; (5) unproven use of genomics information to develop or commercialize products; and (6) 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.

(C)Copyright 2005. 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. VisiGen is a registered trademark of VisiGen Biotechnologies, Inc.