Applied Biosystems Introduces a New System for Drug Discovery Research at the Society for Biomolecular Screening Conference.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

Biophex 2003

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2003

100-Fold Increase in Throughput Per Experiment

with Improved Data Quality

Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the introduction of the 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer, which is expected to fill a critical role in the drug discovery process by rapidly identifying and characterizing antibody diagnostic and therapeutic candidates. This process is notoriously time consuming and adds significant cost to the discovery of new pharmaceuticals. The 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer delivers comparative, quantitative affinity ranking of biologically relevant binding events in a high throughput format, and enables researchers to detect and measure up to 400 antibody binding interactions simultaneously in less than two hours, accelerating analysis up to 100 times faster relative to existing technologies. Three primary applications are currently available for antibody characterization using the 8500 system: antibody affinity determination, identification of matched antibody pairs, and peptide epitope mapping. The system will be on exhibit at the Society for Biomolecular Screening in Portland, Oregon, September 21-25, 2003.

The Applied Biosystems 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer is based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), which provides label-free, high throughput, real-time analysis of binding interactions of antibodies and other proteins to biomolecules. SPR is an optical phenomenon that occurs as a result of the transfer of light energy to the surface of a solid substrate. Surface-binding interactions are monitored in real-time enabling researchers to determine the affinity and specificity of biomolecular interactions without the use of fluorescent dyes or radioactivity. The Applied Biosystems 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer allows researchers to directly compare binding data within the same experiment, greatly reducing run-to-run experimental variability while increasing throughput.

"The 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer should significantly improve researchers' ability to develop novel antibodies for potential therapeutics and diagnostics as well as advance the understanding of fundamental biological processes," said Michael W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., President of Applied Biosystems. "At Applied Biosystems, we are committed to delivering breakthrough technologies to advance drug discovery research."

Additional applications under development for the Applied Biosystems 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer include the characterization and identification of protein-protein interactions and protein-nucleic acid interactions, which can determine protein functions and provide insight into the control and regulation of metabolic pathways. Applied Biosystems expects to introduce proteomic-based applications for the 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer throughout 2004.

The Applied Biosystems 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer is a complete system, with associated affinity chips and other reagent consumables. The system complements an additional platform from Applied Biosystems, the 8200 Cellular Detection System, which is used in primary antibody screening applications and other cell- and bead-based functional assays.

HTS Biosystems

The 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer was developed under a licensing and supply agreement between Applied Biosystems and HTS Biosystems signed in 2002 to develop and commercialize a system based on HTS Biosystems' high throughput affinity screening technology.

Future Exhibit Dates

The Applied Biosystems 8500 Affinity Chip Analyzer will be on exhibit at several scientific conferences over the coming months:

Biophex, a conference and exhibition for biopharmaceutical R&D, processing and manufacturing, to be held September 23-25, 2003 in San Jose, CA, USA.

Proteomic Forum 2003, the international meeting on proteome analysis, to be held September 14-17, 2003 in Munich, Germany.

Human Antibodies & Hybridomas, sponsored by the International Journal of Human Antibodies, to be held October 8-10, 2003 in Osaka, Japan.

Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) 2nd Annual & International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) XIX Joint World Congress, to be held October 8-11, 2003 in Montreal, Canada.

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(TM) 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 "expect" 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 development of new products; (2) acceptance of the new technology into the marketplace; and (3) other factors that might be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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.

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