Applied Biosystems Announces Enhanced Version Of Industry Leading SQL*LIMS™ Software

FOSTER CITY, CA – March 8, 2004 – Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the latest version of its laboratory information management system (LIMS) software, SQL*LIMS™ version 5.0. The latest version of the software includes an enhanced user interface delivered via a Web services application that provides a comprehensive, enterprise-accessible productivity solution for pharmaceutical manufacturing organizations. Additionally, the new SQL*LIMS™ software includes enhancements, such as instrument calibration, user qualification and reagent inventory tracking.
 
SQL*LIMS™ software, installed in more than 1,000 laboratories worldwide, is a complete laboratory information management system that automates sample tracking, laboratory processes and workflow, data access and storage, and regulatory compliance. The new, open platform Web services application was built using industry standard technology including the Oracle® Application Server 10g, Database 9i and provides an extensible J2EE standards-based application. Additionally, Applied Biosystems expects to deliver a series of new product updates to SQL*LIMS™ software version 5.0 over the coming months.

“The latest version of our SQL*LIMS™ product offers pharmaceutical R&D organizations an enterprise-accessible system that should enable increased productivity across manufacturing groups and even global sites,” said Michael W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., President of Applied Biosystems. “As a result, decisions about such important issues as drug formulation, production stability, and product lot quality can be made more easily and efficiently within a system that supports regulatory compliance requirements.”

“Typically, LIMS applications have required installation on local user machines, making the systems more costly to implement and maintain. With the introduction of the Web-enabled SQL*LIMS™ version 5.0, customers should be able to reduce their total cost of ownership with a configurable system that is easy to distribute, maintain and connect to other mission critical applications, while still securely protecting data quality and integrity,” said Bruce von Herrmann, Vice President and General Manager of Global Informatics Software and Professional Services for Applied Biosystems.

The Global Informatics Software and Professional Services Group of Applied Biosystems provides specialized, scalable and flexible solutions for data handling, instrument integration and process automation, as well as professional services to help customers design and implement informatics solutions for both discovery research as well as development and manufacturing.

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, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing.  Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2003. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), located in Rockville, MD, and South San Francisco, CA, is engaged principally in integrating advanced technologies to discover and develop new therapeutics. Celera intends to leverage its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop new therapeutics. Its Celera Discovery SystemTM online platform, marketed exclusively by Applied Biosystems, is an integrated source of information based on the human genome and other biological and medical sources. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel 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/.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such “should,” 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 and dependence on development of new products; (2) claims for patent infringement; (3) sales dependent on customers’ capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (4) dependence on continuous, effective, reliable, and secure operation of its computer hardware, software, and Internet applications and related tools and functions; and (5) 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© 2004. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark and Applera, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, Celera Genomics, and SQL*LIMS are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.