Applied Biosystems Innovation Enables Accurate, Quantitative Gene Expression Analysis of Very Small or Rare Samples; TaqMan(R) PreAmp Master Mix Kit Addresses Unmet Need to Generate Robust Real-Time PCR Results From Limited Amounts of RNA.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the launch of a commercial reagent mix that enables accurate, quantitative, real-time gene expression analysis on very small or rare samples. The TaqMan(R) PreAmp Master Mix Kit is intended to address the challenge faced by researchers working with precious samples to extract enough mRNA to perform advanced gene expression analyses using real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

Real-time PCR is a laboratory method used to simultaneously quantify and amplify DNA. Previous commercially available pre-amplification methods designed to analyze small samples using real-time PCR have been limited in their effectiveness because they inconsistently amplify the starting material, resulting in biased and inaccurate gene amplification. These methods are also typically laborious and time-intensive for researchers, with some methods requiring more than ten hours of manual steps and PCR cycling time. As a result, many of these samples remain archived as opposed to being studied for the important molecular information they may contain.

The TaqMan PreAmp Master Mix Kit addresses this challenge with an optimized formulation that works with a multiplexed pool of up to 100 TaqMan Gene Expression Assays. The result is a 1,000-16,000-fold increase in gene transcripts available for analysis. The simple process enables researchers to perform uniform and unbiased amplification of as little as one nanogram of cDNA, and takes only 15 additional minutes of hands-on time and 1.5 hours of PCR cycling time. Researchers can then conduct up to 200 real-time PCR reactions per pre-amplification reaction without compromising their available sample material.

Researchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Center are using the TaqMan PreAmp Master Mix Kit to analyze its laser microdissected samples of hepatitis C-infected liver cells.

"Using the TaqMan PreAmp Master Mix Kit we achieved nearly 100% efficient amplification of our target sequences with reproducible results using varying numbers of cells as starting material," said Renata Coudry, M.D., Ph.D., manager for Fox Chase Cancer Center's laser capture microdissection facility. "The balance of targets in the sample remains the same, enabling truly quantitative analysis. This new amplification method will expand the use of gene expression profiling to characterize limited cell populations, including virus-infected cells."

The TaqMan PreAmp Master Mix Kit accepts from one to 250 nanograms of cDNA generated using random primers. The kit is optimized for use with the TaqMan Gene Expression Assay product line and the Applied Biosystems family of Real-Time PCR Systems.

"We developed the TaqMan PreAmp Master Mix Kit in response to requests from clinical researchers working with laser capture microdissected samples, needle biopsies, paraffin-embedded tissues and other samples with limited amounts of RNA," said Carl Hull, vice president and general manager for sequence detection systems at Applied Biosystems. "As a result, our customers now have access to a robust way to stretch limited samples, perform real-time, quantitative analysis on more gene targets and even conduct gene expression analysis on samples that were previously impossible to study."

More information is available at http://preamp.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 primarily a molecular diagnostics business that is using proprietary genomics and proteomics discovery platforms to identify and validate novel diagnostic markers, and is developing diagnostic products based on these markers as well as other known markers. Celera Genomics maintains a strategic alliance with Abbott Laboratories for the development and commercialization of molecular, or nucleic acid-based, diagnostic products, and it is also developing new diagnostic products outside of this alliance. Through its genomics and proteomics research efforts, Celera Genomics is also discovering and validating therapeutic targets, and it is seeking strategic partnerships to develop therapeutic products based on these discovered targets. 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, "planned," and "expect," 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.

Purchase of TaqMan(R) PreAmp Master Mix includes an immunity from suit under patents specified in the product insert to use only the amount purchased for the purchaser's own internal research. No other patent rights are conveyed expressly, by implication, or by estoppel. Further information on purchasing licenses may be obtained by contacting the Director of Licensing, Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, California 94404, USA.

Copyright(C) 2006. 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. TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.