FOSTER CITY, Calif. & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 2008--Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, and its joint-venture partner, MDS Analytical Technologies, a business unit of MDS Inc. (NYSE:MDZ) (TSX:MDS), and PREMIER Biosoft International today announced that they have signed a co-marketing and reseller agreement to deliver solutions for glycobiology research worldwide. Glycobiology is the study of sugars or saccharides known as glycans, which play essential roles as components in all living organisms. Researchers use life science tools to investigate glycans to further understand biology, such as how sugars affect the structure and activities of proteins.

To offer integrated workflows to glycomics researchers, Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies will co-market and resell PREMIER Biosoft's SimGlycan, an innovative high throughput glycan mass finger-printing tool, for use with Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies' mass spectrometers, including the 4800 Plus MALDI TOF/TOF(TM) Analyzer, the 4000 QTRAP(R) System and the QSTAR(R) Elite System.

SimGlycan is a data analysis tool that predicts glycan structure using MS/MS data acquired by mass spectrometry. It matches the MS/MS spectra with its own comprehensive, robust and annotated database to predict glycan structure. A simple search generates a list of all the probable glycans close to the actual sample. Structures are scored using a proprietary algorithm to help judge the distinction between close matches. In addition, each structure is mined for associated glycan class, reaction, pathway and enzyme, saving users valuable time, money and the frustration of laborious manual annotation.

"Our collaboration with Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies brings together the capabilities of two leaders in their respective fields to deliver a complete analysis and research solution for characterizing glycans, glycoproteins and glycopeptides," said Kay Brown, vice president of business development and marketing at PREMIER Biosoft. "We believe this collaboration will expand the use of our product, SimGlycan, within the glycomics community."

The instrument systems combined with PREMIER Biosoft's software are part of Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies' broad line of mass spectrometry products that comprise innovative workflows in life science research. The 4800 Plus system is a proteomics analyzer that can identify thousands of proteins in a biological sample. The QTRAP system is a unique platform with hybrid quadrupole/linear ion trap technology, designed for studies that require and/or benefit from both quantitative and qualitative results in the same experiment. The QSTAR system is a hybrid quadrupole TOF instrument that provides high mass accuracy and sensitivity for a wide variety of biological applications.

"Protein glycosylation is one of the most common types of post-translational modifications," said Lydia Nuwaysir, Ph.D., senior product manager at Applied Biosystems. "Full characterization is particularly important for biopharmaceuticals because, ultimately, the type and extent of glycosylation can affect protein structure and activity. Combining PREMIER Biosoft's product with our instruments will allow the glycomics research community to take full advantage of the unique capabilities of the 4800, QTRAP and QSTAR systems for glycostructure analysis."

Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies mass spectrometry systems are widely used for high throughput analysis in support of protein and biomarker research, clinical trials, and drug metabolism studies in the biotechnology, biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. As a leader in mass spectrometry, Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies offers innovative technology for glycobiology research. For example, the high energy fragmentation of the 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF(TM) analyzer and the MS3 capabilities of the 4000 QTRAP(R) system provide unique and complementary fragmentation patterns that can unlock glyco structure. In addition, the high mass accuracy and efficient fragmentation of the QSTAR instrument are ideally suited for glycan analysis.

About PREMIER Biosoft International

Founded in 1994, the company is a group of computer scientists and molecular biologists dedicated to producing cutting-edge intuitive software for the molecular biologist. The goal of the company is to study the most recent innovations in molecular biology and translate them into software products that aid biologists. Additional information about PREMIER Biosoft International is available at http://www.PremierBiosoft.com.

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. Applied Biosystems 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 and develop new pharmaceuticals. Applied Biosystems' products also serve the needs of some markets outside of life science research, which we refer to as "applied markets," such as the fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, such as testing required for food and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of approximately $2.1 billion during fiscal 2007. The Celera Group is a diagnostics business delivering personalized disease management through a combination of products and services incorporating proprietary discoveries. Berkeley HeartLab, a subsidiary of Celera, offers services to predict cardiovascular disease risk and optimize patient management. Celera also commercializes a wide range of molecular diagnostic products through its strategic alliance with Abbott and has licensed other relevant diagnostic technologies developed to provide personalized disease management in cancer and liver diseases. 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. 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 unless required by law.

About MDS Analytical Technologies

MDS Analytical Technologies is a newly established MDS Inc. business unit and is a world-class organization comprised of two main lines of business. The Sciex product portfolio offers proven market leadership in mass spectrometry through its joint ventures with two of the world's leading analytical instrumentation and life sciences companies, Applied Biosystems, a business of Applera Corporation, and PerkinElmer Inc. Molecular Devices' product portfolio is the gold standard in high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems that accelerate and improve drug discovery and other life sciences research. Find out more at www.moleculardevices.com or www.mdssciex.com.

Applied Biosystems Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "should," "expect," and "planned," 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 the development and customer acceptance of new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' spending policies; and (3) 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.

(C) 2008 Applied Biosystems and MDS Inc.. All rights reserved. For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Applera, Applied Biosystems, and AB (Design) are registered trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the US and/or certain other countries. QSTAR and QTRAP are registered trademarks and TOF/TOF is a trademark of Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies Instruments, a joint venture between Applera Corporation and MDS Inc.

CONTACT: Applied Biosystems
Anthony Petrucci, 508-383-7961 (Media)
anthony.b.petrucci@appliedbiosystems.com
William Craumer, 650-638-6382 (Investors)
william.craumer@appliedbiosystems.com
or
MDS Analytical Technologies
Cheri Salazar, 408-548-6316 (Media)
cheri.salazar@moldev.com
or
MDS Inc.
Kim Lee, 416-213-4721 (Investors)
kim.lee@mdsinc.com
or
PREMIER Biosoft International
Arun Apte, 650-856-2703

SOURCE: Applied Biosystems