PE Applied Biosystems enters genetic animal testing market with acquisition of Zoogen, Inc.; Davis, Calif.-based firm is premier provider of genetic analysis services to animal breeders and owners.

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 1996--PE Applied Biosystems, a division of The Perkin-Elmer Corporation (NYSE:PKN), today entered the genetic testing services market through the acquisition of Zoogen, Inc., a leading purveyor of genetic analysis services to breeders and owners of domestic, exotic and farm animal species.

PE Applied Biosystems is the world's leading manufacturer and developer of genetic analysis technology. Zoogen, based in Davis, California, provides animal breeders and owners with a range of services, including parentage and avian sex testing, genetic screening and breeding consultation services. Zoogen has approximately 20 employees.

Zoogen will become a business unit operated within PE Applied Biosystems and will be called PE Zoogen. Joy Halverson, founder of Zoogen and its head of research and development, will continue in that role. Mike Miille, Chief Executive of Zoogen, will continue to run day-to-day operations.

"The merger of Zoogen into PE Applied Biosystems is an exciting marriage of two compatible businesses," said Stephen Bates, Senior Group Leader of PE Applied Biosystem's agricultural business, who will oversee PE Zoogen. He added, "PE Zoogen provides a point of entry for PE Applied Biosystems into the growing field of the genetic testing of animals. At the same time, PE Zoogen will benefit greatly from its access to PE Applied Biosystems' full range of genetic analysis technology, and our ongoing R&D programs."

"We are thrilled to join the PE Applied Biosystems family, and we look forward to a highly successful collaboration that will result in the provision of a wide array of genetic analysis services to animal breeders and owners around the country," said Mike Miille.

Zoogen was founded in 1989 with a core technology transferred from the University of California at Davis. The first commercial service based on this proprietary technology is Sex Made Easy., a DNA-based gender-determination assay for exotic birds (e.g., parrots, macaws, cockatoos, etc.). Since the introduction of Sex Made Easy, the company has performed such tests on some 175,000 exotic birds. The company also provides genetic analysis services to breeders of ratites, which are flightless fowl such as ostriches, emus and rheas.

More recently, Zoogen has developed a genetic system called DNA PawPrint for the identification of canines for parentage testing and security purposes. Zoogen is the exclusive DNA testing lab for the United Kennel Club's DNA Identity and Parentage Certification Program.

PE Applied Biosystems offers a DNA marker set for cattle, and is developing marker sets for other species, as well. In addition to their current offerings, PE Zoogen plans to offer a wide range of genetic analysis services to breeders and owners of other species in the future.

The Perkin-Elmer Corporation is the world leader in the manufacture, development and distribution of analytical instruments and life science systems used in markets such as environmental biotechnology, chemical, food and agriculture. Headquartered in Connecticut, Perkin-Elmer had $1 billion in revenues in the fiscal year 1995 and employs 5,700 people worldwide.

CONTACT: Valerie Tucker

PE Applied Biosystems

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Carol Blaszcyzynski

The Perkin-Elmer Corporation

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