U.S. PATENT ISSUED TO APPLERA FOR REAL-TIME PCR INSTRUMENTATION

FOSTER CITY, CA – November 10, 2004 – Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Applera a fundamental patent pertaining to real-time PCR instrumentation (Patent No. 6,814,934).

Catherine M. Burzik, President, Applied Biosystems, said, “We are very pleased that this pioneering advance in PCR instrumentation has been recognized by the USPTO. We expect that this patent will help support our growing real-time PCR business.”

PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a technology for amplifying nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), is an enabling technology for biological research. First-generation PCR is a process in which a segment of a nucleic acid is copied or “amplified” multiple times by alternate heating and cooling so that the nucleic acid can be more readily analyzed. Real-time PCR instruments permit the collection of data during the amplification protocol, thereby facilitating gene expression quantitation and other important applications in biological research and standardized testing.

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, 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 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/.

Copyright© 2004. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark 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.