Applied Biosystems Expands Line of TaqMan(R) MicroRNA Assays; Nearly 300 Individual Assays for Human, Mouse, and Rat MicroRNAs Now Available Online.

FOSTER CITY, Calif & WASHINGTON -- Today at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, announced the commercial availability of 300 individual TaqMan(R) MicroRNA Assays (also known as miRNA assays) for human, mouse, and rat studies.

MicroRNAs, one of the smallest entities in the human genome responsible for gene regulation, are a rapidly growing research area with implications for further understanding of gene regulation in normal development and in various disease states.

"Whether or not specific microRNAs are expressed in a cell often influences key cellular characteristics and functions carried out by that cell," said William V. Murray, Division President of Molecular Biology for Applied Biosystems. "Scientists are quickly learning that these non-coding microRNA molecules play a critical regulatory role in cellular processes, such as differentiation and development, as well as in disease development, such as cancer. This is an exciting new field of study that we expect to grow as more microRNAs are discovered and functionally characterized."

The assays are based on a simple two-step process using Applied Biosystems' proprietary stem-loop technology for reverse transcription (RT) of the mature microRNA followed by quantitative real-time PCR. In preliminary studies, the assays were able to quantify microRNAs in samples as small as 25 picograms of total RNA and discriminate between highly homologous mature microRNAs, such as the hsa-let-7 family.

"The TaqMan MicroRNA Assays solve a key challenge by accurately determining expression profiles of microRNAs in developmental biology, stem cell research, cancer research, and other disease research," added Caifu Chen, Ph.D., Director of Gene Expression Research at Applied Biosystems. "Unlike traditional laboratory methods, such as Northern Blots, these assays enable researchers to discriminate between highly homologous microRNAs and the precursor and mature form of microRNAs. This specificity, combined with the sensitivity and large dynamic range of gold-standard TaqMan chemistry and real-time PCR, offers a robust, easily scalable, and cost effective method to connect the expression of microRNAs with the regulation and fate of many different cell types."

"We have been using the TaqMan MicroRNA Assays to study types of brain tumors that respond differently to treatment," said Victor Ambros, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School, who is also credited with the initial discovery of microRNA molecules. "Our studies show these assays to be the most reliable and quantitative way to screen for microRNA biomarkers that distinguish tumor types."

Dr. Ambros and colleagues will present a poster describing their use of TaqMan MicroRNA Assays to characterize microRNA expression in the NCI-60 panel of cell lines and their biological correlates in the NCI-60 panel of human tumor derived cell lines (Poster #2375) at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 from 1 to 4 p.m. In addition, Dr. Schmittgen and colleagues at the Ohio State University-Columbus will present poster and oral presentations on the identification of stroma- and tumor-related microRNAs in pancreatic cancer using TaqMan MicroRNA Assays (Poster #5725) on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 from Noon to 3 p.m. at AACR.

About TaqMan MicroRNA Assays

The TaqMan MicroRNA Assays are pre-designed and validated probe and primer sets for real-time PCR. These assays have all the performance characteristics of TaqMan probe-based chemistry including unmatched specificity, sensitivity, and dynamic range. Additionally, utilizing real-time PCR greatly simplifies the workflow, enabling results in just approximately three hours.

Applied Biosystems plans to expand its collection of microRNA assays to more than 500, including assays for additional animals and plants, in the coming months.

For more information about the TaqMan(R) MicroRNA Assays or to order online, please visit: http://microRNA.appliedbiosystems.com.

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.

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 dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; 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.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

The PCR process and 5' nuclease process are covered by patents owned by Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, and by patents owned by or licensed to Applera Corporation. Further information on purchasing licenses, including for real-time PCR commercial services or other applied fields, may be obtained from the Director of Licensing, Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, California 94404, USA.

Copyright(C) 2006. Applied Biosystems. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems and Celera are registered trademarks and Applera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Genomics, and Celera Discovery System are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the US and/or certain other countries.

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