Applied Biosystems Announces Early-Access Program for Its Next-Generation Sequencing Platform

Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business,
has announced the launch of the early-access program for its
next-generation DNA sequencing system. The company said that it has
shipped initial units of its SOLiD(TM) System to leading research
institutions that include Stanford University, and has begun accepting
orders from other customers.

The SOLiD platform, based on sequencing by oligonucleotide
ligation and detection, is Applied Biosystems' next-generation system
for ultra high throughput DNA analysis. Unlike polymerase sequencing
approaches, the SOLiD System utilises a proprietary technology called
stepwise ligation, which generates high quality data for applications
such as whole genome sequencing, medical sequencing, genotyping, gene
expression and small RNA discovery.

The promise of next-generation sequencing technology is to broaden
the applications of genomic information in medical research and health
care, reduce the cost of DNA sequencing without sacrificing quality,
and enable discoveries that may revolutionise the practice of
medicine.

Applied Biosystems acquired prototype technology for
next-generation sequencing from Agencourt Personal Genomics in July
2006 and has rapidly developed the SOLiD System. In less than a year,
Applied Biosystems has increased sample throughput five-fold and base
read length by 66 per cent, resulting in a system that is expected to
accelerate advances in medical research, health care and other life
science applications.

Applied Biosystems is developing applications for the SOLiD System
in collaboration with leading academic and research institutions that
include Stanford, Broad Institute, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,
Baylor College of Medicine, Joint Genome Institute, University of
Queensland (Australia), and Washington University among others. This
development process has resulted in one of the most advanced ultra
high throughput next-generation sequencing platforms. The SOLiD System
is distinguished by the following attributes:

-- The SOLiD System features 2-base encoding, a proprietary
mechanism that interrogates each base twice for errors during
sequencing. The application of 2-base encoding rules during
analysis removes measurement errors, resulting in high
accuracy sequence data.

-- The SOLiD System can generate more than one gigabase of
useable data per run, which makes it one of the highest
throughput next-generation sequencing systems. A gigabase is a
measure that is the equivalent of one third of the human
genome, which contains 3 billion bases of DNA.

-- The SOLiD System's high accuracy, combined with mate-pair
analysis, enables detection of sequence variation including,
SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), gene copy number
variations, single base duplications, inversions, insertions
and deletions. Mate-pair sample preparation is a method that
enables highly accurate sequence assembly required for the
analysis of complex genomes such as human, mouse and other
model organisms. Combined with high accuracy, mate-pair
analysis provides scientists with a flexible system that
performs a variety of different applications, including gene
expression studies for the detection of low-expressed genes,
which are invisible on hybridisation arrays.

-- The SOLiD System is designed to accommodate future sequencing
applications. Adaptable to bead enrichment, the SOLiD platform
can be scaled to support a higher density of sequence per
slide. This provides the infrastructure for performing more
complex genome studies as they are undertaken.

"We have made rapid progress in developing the SOLiD System, which
we believed had the best commercial viability among more than 40
next-generation sequencing technologies we evaluated," said Mark P.
Stevenson, president for Applied Biosystems' molecular and cell
biology division. "We will continue to work with our customers and
collaborators to further refine the system and develop the breadth of
applications for what we believe will be the life science community's
platform of choice for both current and future DNA analysis projects."

Scientists at Stanford University have been using results
generated on the SOLiD System to better understand complex biological
processes. Dr Arend Sidow, PhD, an associate professor at Stanford
School of Medicine, has analysed 282 megabases of aligned sequence
data generated by the SOLiD System. Dr Sidow was able to create a high
resolution map of nucleosome positioning in C. elegans (round worm), a
model organism in the study of biological processes. The location of
nucleosomes - tightly wound packing units of DNA - is thought to
affect gene expression and provide insights into important regulatory
mechanisms such as DNA transcription.

"I believe the SOLiD System technology has the potential to
deliver real breakthroughs in any application of sequencing aimed at
understanding biological functions in complex genomes," said Dr Sidow.
"After evaluating a number of potential technologies, we look forward
to applying this ultra high throughput technology to projects such as
targeted resequencing of cancer genes and other medically relevant
research."

In a microbial sequencing project, Dr George Weinstock, PhD,
co-director at the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of
Medicine, first sequenced a strain of Escherichia coli using Sanger
sequencing technologies. He then used the SOLiD System to resequence
the genome for validation of the assembly. The SOLiD System read pair
data identified a large duplication that had been missed in the
assembly of the Sanger sequences.

"The mate-pair technology in the SOLiD System will enable us to
generate highly accurate sequence data for infectious disease
pathogens and other microbes," said Dr Weinstock. "In our future
efforts, we will continue to correlate phenotypes with genotypes of
bacteria that have closely related genomes. For this research, we look
forward to next-generation sequencing technologies capable of
identifying all kinds of genetic variation that may occur between
different species."

Dr Elaine Mardis, PhD, director of technology development and
co-director at the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University
School of Medicine, is an expert in the development of DNA sequencing
technology. She is responsible for the many procedures and high
throughput automated systems currently in use at the Genome Sequencing
Center.

"We are very enthusiastic about being an early access site for the
Applied Biosystems SOLiD System," said Dr. Mardis. "Early access to
the SOLiD System will enable us to evaluate this very important
next-generation sequencing platform, and to develop key applications
that capitalise on the strengths of this system. Early access to this
system will perpetuate our long and productive relationship with
Applied Biosystems."

Applied Biosystems is a global leader in the development and
commercialisation of instrument-based systems, consumables, software,
and services for the life science market. The company commercialised
the technology that helped scientists to sequence the human genome. By
developing the SOLiD System, Applied Biosystems continues its
leadership in DNA sequencing by commercialising technology that helps
scientists to better understand and treat disease, based on genomic
information. Further information about the SOLiD System is available
at http://solid.appliedbiosystems.com.

For more information, please contact:
abdirect@eur.appliedbiosystems.com

http://europe.appliedbiosystems.com

(C) 2007 Applera Corporation and MDS Inc. All rights reserved.

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

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consists of the Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics businesses.
Applera Corporation undertakes no obligation to release publicly the
results of any revisions to any forward-looking statement made or
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AB (Design), ABI PRISM, Applied Biosystems, Applera and Celera are
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