PerkinElmer Launches Three New Drug Discovery Reagent Platforms.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2002

--Industry's First Non-Rad Platform for GTP Binding Assays

--Innovative Red-Emission Technology for uHTS Imagers

--Breakthrough New Luminescence Screening Platforms

PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI), a leading provider of drug discovery, life science research and genetic disease screening solutions, today announced the availability of three new cutting-edge reagent technologies for drug discovery screening, enabling drug discovery customers to perform critical assays more accurately and with greater time efficiency and cost savings. DELFIA(R) GTP Binding Assay kit, the first non-radiometric platform for - guanosine triphosphate (GTP) binding; Image FlashPlate(TM), a new red-emission technology for a wide range of high throughput screening (HTS) imagers; and britelite(TM) and steadylite HTS(TM), breakthrough luminescence technologies for G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) functional screening applications. These innovative products will be showcased in Booth #10 at the Conference for the Society for Biomolecular Screening (SBS) on September 22-26 at The Hague.

The new DELFIA GTP Binding Assay is the first non-radiometric assay kit that screens for GTP binding, offering customers the industry's only alternative to radiometric assay screening. This represents a major advance over current methods because it offers a fast, simple protocol and eliminates the difficulties associated with radioactive-based assays. The proven DELFIA time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) technology provides excellent sensitivity and features high signal-to-noise ratios with low background. This new reagent platform is now automated by integrating PerkinElmer's MiniTrak(TM) microplate processor.

The new Image FlashPlate(TM) offering is a next-generation assay platform for high throughput screening laboratories enabling imaging in the desirable red-spectral range, which provides superior sensitivity and improved signal-to-noise ratio over traditional HTS methods. The Image FlashPlate(TM) provides a fast, easy and cost-effective way to increase throughput while achieving more accurate results. The Image FlashPlate(TM) is a 384 shallowwell microplate that emits light in the red spectrum, thus combining ultra-miniaturization with superior performance. The Image FlashPlate(TM) is now available in uncoated and streptavidin- or wheat germ agglutinin-coated formats.

"This breakthrough platform will finally offer our customers a choice of reagent technologies for use with their uHTS imagers," said Neil Cook, chief scientific officer and vice president of global research and development PerkinElmer Life Sciences. "The Image FlashPlate(TM) provides an alternative to the issue arriving from handling bead-based technologies. Customers will enjoy significant ease-of-use improvements in assay preparation and automation. The Image FlashPlate(TM) requires no technology access fees and provides a 5-fold decrease in read times over conventional scintillation assays."

Britelite(TM) and steadylite HTS(TM) are two new luminescence assay systems for reporter gene assays used in functional GPCR screening applications. The steadylite HTS reagent platform features a long-lived signal, making it ideal for the batch processing environments typically experienced in large-scale automated screening. Steadylite HTS(TM) also offers excellent sensitivity, thus facilitating miniaturization and increasing reagent cost savings. The britelite(TM) platform offers high throughput screening labs superior sensitivity over current offerings, allowing remarkably robust assays with an ultra-bright signal. Both products offer the advantage of one plate preparation, from cell culture to reagent addition and analysis. In addition, steadylite HTS(TM) and britelite(TM) offer the simplicity and speed of a homogeneous assay protocol and are available in 96-, 384- or 1536-well formats. These new reagent platforms are complementary to PerkinElmer's world-class ViewLux(TM) uHTS microplate imager, as well as the new EnVision(TM) multilabel microplate reader.

Factors Affecting Future Performance

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements contained in this press release that relate to prospective events or developments are deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including risks related to our debt levels, our ability to comply with the financial covenants contained in our credit agreements, a downturn in our customers' markets, our failure to introduce new products in a timely manner, risks related to our international operations, our inability to integrate acquired businesses into our existing business, competition and other factors which we describe under the caption "Forward-Looking Information and Factors Affecting Future Performance" in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2002. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

PerkinElmer, Inc. is a global technology leader focused in three businesses -- Life Sciences, Optoelectronics and Analytical Instruments. Combining operational excellence and technology expertise with an intimate understanding of our customers' needs, PerkinElmer creates innovative solutions - backed by unparalleled service and support - for customers in health care, communications and other markets whose applications demand precision and speed. The company operates in more than 125 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Additional information is available through www.perkinelmer.com or 1-877-PKI-NYSE.