Applied Biosystems Introduces the 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System; Results Produced Three Times Faster Compared With Conventional Systems.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the introduction of the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System and an optional upgrade kit for the original 7500 Real-Time PCR System to the Fast configuration.

The 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System is the third Fast PCR system introduced by Applied Biosystems in recent months, and the second Fast Real-Time PCR system. The 7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR System and the 9800 Fast PCR System were introduced in October 2004.

Designed for scientists performing basic research, the 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System significantly reduces real-time PCR run times to less than 40 minutes from around two hours and uses 96-well format PCR reaction plates.

"Because the system employs 96-well format plates, it can easily be integrated into existing laboratory workflows and provides a competitive advantage over other Fast PCR systems that use non-standard formats such as glass capillaries or proprietary tubes," said Carl Hull, Vice President and General Manager, Real-Time PCR Systems and Microarrays, for Applied Biosystems. "In addition, faster run times enable scientists to more easily share the system in multi-user environments, enabling greater productivity."

"As a leader in PCR applications we are pleased to provide our customers with a suite of Fast options to meet various laboratory and throughput needs for both conventional and real-time PCR," said Catherine M. Burzik, President of Applied Biosystems. "Further, this new product provides another advance in our expanding and integrated portfolio of tools for gene expression analysis."

Used with TaqMan(R) Fast Universal PCR Master Mix, the system supports TaqMan(R) Gene Expression Assays, Custom TaqMan(R) Gene Expression Assays, Primer Express(R) Software-designed assays and TaqMan(R) Pre-Developed Assay Reagents.

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/.

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" 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) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research and; (2) and 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 diagnostics procedures.

Copyright(C) 2004. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems, Celera, and Primer Express are registered trademarks and Applera, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, 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.