Applied Biosystems and Hitachi Renew Exclusive Product Development Agreement for DNA Analysis Technology; Collaboration Continues Commitment to Further Develop Capillary Electrophoresis Technologies.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive collaboration agreement with Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, an affiliate of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), to develop and commercialize capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based DNA analysis technologies. This agreement extends the term of and also amends an existing collaboration agreement that began in 1997. Under the terms of the agreement, Applied Biosystems and Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation will continue to be exclusive collaborators in the development and commercialization of CE-based instruments for research, applied market, and diagnostic applications. The current product line includes the Applied Biosystems 3130 and 3730 series DNA analyzers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"As a global leader in DNA sequencing technology, Applied Biosystems is very pleased to renew its highly successful collaboration with Hitachi High-Technologies to further develop gold-standard capillary electrophoresis technology," said Catherine M. Burzik, President of Applied Biosystems. "Our capillary electrophoresis systems were instrumental in the completion of the Human Genome Project and continue to drive the expansion of genetic analysis applications such as resequencing, genotyping for clinical research, or human forensic identification. Additionally, Applied Biosystems is developing non-capillary electrophoresis technologies internally and through external collaboration."

"Hitachi High-Technologies is pleased with the renewal of this collaboration and hopes that, through it, the capillary electrophoresis DNA sequencing business will continue to grow in commercial market segments outside of the research market," said Katsuji Yamashita, Senior Vice President of Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation. "We will also continue to develop new technologies to serve future demands of the genetic analysis market."

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 Hitachi High-Technologies

Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation is a global company that has specialized in development and marketing in the cutting-edge technologies in a broad range of fields from leading-edge materials, a core emphasis on biotechnology products, semiconductor production systems, IT solutions and products. Hitachi High-Technologies is a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. Founded in 1947, the Headquarters is located in Tokyo, and there are 27 offices in Japan and 76 offices outside of Japan in twenty-four countries. The company has earned a reputation as a "high-tech" integrator. Consolidated Net Sales is 9B (US$) in 2005. Visit the company's Web site at: http://www.hitachi-hitec.com/oversea/.

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 "believe," "expect," "should," "anticipate," 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 could adversely affect demand for Applied Biosystems' products, and its business is dependent on development and customer acceptance of new products; (2) 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; 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.

Copyright 2006. Applera Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Applied Biosystems, Celera, and AB (Design) are registered trademarks, and Applera, Celera Diagnostics, and Celera Genomics are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.