Intergen Company to Distribute Martek's PBXL Fluorescent Products.

COLUMBIA, Md--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 30, 1998--Martek Biosciences Corporation (NASDAQ:MATK) today announced that it entered into an agreement with Intergen(R) Company for the non-exclusive distribution of Martek's proprietary PBXL(TM) line of ultrasensitive, fluorescent products. These products will be marketed by Intergen(R) on a worldwide basis, targeting both research and clinical applications. This agreement expands on a prior relationship with Intergen(R) for distribution of Martek's phycobiliproteins and CryptoFluor(TM) dye lines.

PBXL(TM) fluorescent compounds are designed to replace enzyme and radioisotope-based detection markers in immunoassays and other binding reactions. They provide researchers and diagnosticians simpler and more rapid testing with equal sensitivity to competing methods. PBXL(TM) markers have application to protein detection on western blots, microplate-based immunoassays, detection of protein receptor binding events, DNA testing, and high speed cell sorting or flow cytometry.

"Martek's fluorescent markers will make a valuable contribution to the research and diagnostic communities," said Henry "Pete" Linsert, Jr., Martek's Chairman and CEO. "This additional agreement with Intergen(R) will broaden the sales effort needed to attain widespread usage of our PBXL compounds."

"Intergen Company is very happy to extend our relationship with Martek Biosciences, the technology leader in phycobiliproteins. Adding conjugates of the PBXL dyes to our offering of fluorescent proteins will be very valuable for our customers in the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic markets," said David Phelps, Ph.D., Intergen's Vice President for Licensing.

Intergen(R) is a leading manufacturer of products critical to the commercial development of life sciences into biopharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Intergen(R) has developed a significant market presence through acquisitions and the commercialization of its products. Headquartered in Purchase, New York, Intergen(R) maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Canada and partnerships in Japan.

Martek Biosciences Corporation develops, manufactures and sells products from microalgae. The Company's products include: (1) specialty, edible oils for infant formula, nutritional supplements and food ingredients that play a beneficial role in promoting mental and cardiovascular health, and in the development of the eyes and central nervous system in newborns; (2) high value reagents and technologies to visualize molecular interactions for drug discovery and development and; (3) new, powerful fluorescent markers for diagnostics, rapid miniaturized screening, and gene and protein detection.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the commercialization of Martek's products. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ due to a variety of risk factors set forth in Exhibit 99.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 1998, as well as other disclosures set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to its filed reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.