Researchers Identify New Protein Biomarker Candidates That May Lead to Better Diagnosis and Treatment for Age-Related Diseases

Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and Dementia with LewyBodies Targeted in Protein Study Enabled by Applied Biosystems/MDSSCIEX's Advanced Technologies

Applied Biosystems (NYSE: ABI), an Applera Corporation business,and its joint venture partner, MDS Sciex, a division of MDS Inc.(NYSE:MDZ, TSX:MDS), today announced the outcome of the scientificresearch community's most extensive, spinal fluid-based protein studyon neurodegenerative diseases to date. Researchers from the Universityof Washington, Applied Biosystems and three other research facilitiesdiscovered a panel of numerous unique candidate biomarkers that couldpotentially help develop more effective diagnostic tests andtreatments for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Dementiawith Lewy Bodies - three age-related diseases that affect more thanseven million people in the United States today.(1) The study waspublished in the August issue of The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

The study is the first to simultaneously compare candidatebiomarkers in these diseases.(2) To enable the simultaneouscomparison, the researchers used iTRAQ(TM) reagent labeling technologyto identify and quantify biomarkers. Protein biomarkers are biologicalentities that can indicate the risk, presence and/or progression ofdiseases. Once protein biomarkers are identified and validated,certain proteins can be targeted to either be blocked or enhanced inorder to prevent or mitigate disease risk in patients and theirfamilies.

Lead author Dr. Jing Zhang MD, PhD, an associate professor ofpathology at the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle,Washington, led a group of collaborating scientists from theUniversity of Washington Medical School, Oregon Health and ScienceUniversity, Baylor College of Medicine, Fred Hutchison Cancer ResearchCenter and Applied Biosystems to analyze proteins in the spinal fluidof people with these diseases to identify candidate biomarkersassociated with each condition. The next step will be for the findingsto be validated in a different and larger population of patients.

"The results of this research may be a catalyst to using proteinbiomarkers to slow down the rising tide of devastatingneurodegenerative diseases," said Dr. Zhang. "Not only are thesediscoveries a beacon of hope for those people genetically susceptibleto suffering from these diseases, but identifying panels of biomarkerscould also potentially be used someday in the diagnosis and monitoringof these diseases."

The researchers identified approximately 1,500 proteins,constituting the most extensive characterization of proteins in thehuman cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) proteome to date. To support thestudy, Applied Biosystems provided the protein discovery systems thatdelivered the required level of sensitivity, protein quantitation andreliability to differentiate between proteins and overcome thecomplexities of the analysis. The CSF proteome has been difficult tostudy because of its complex nature and, without the proper level ofsensitivity in previously available lab instrumentation, CSFneurodegenerative proteins can be confused with other neurologicalproteins within close proximity.

"The team of scientists set out together as partners on a commonmission to cut through the complexities and unlock criticalinformation about Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease andDementia with Lewy Bodies," said Fadi Abdi, PhD, the collaboratingscientist at Applied Biosystems. "Collaborating with other researchscientists is a fundamental part of Applied Biosystems' strategy toadvance proteomics."

An abstract of the full article entitled "Detection of Biomarkerswith a Multiplex Quantitative Proteomic Platform in CerebrospinalFluid of Patients with Neurodegenerative Disorders" in The Journal ofAlzheimer's Disease can be found at:http://www.j-alz.com/issues/9/vol9-3.html

Technology Background

Specific technologies supplied by Applied Biosystems and AppliedBiosystems/MDS SCIEX to support the age-related disease researchincluded the following:

-- 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF(TM) Analyzer: The study's authors utilized an advanced LC MALDI workflow on Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX's 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF(TM) Analyzer to achieve the depth of coverage needed to make this extensive analysis of the CSF possible. This MALDI TOF/TOF(TM) System is one of the most sensitive scientific techniques for the analysis of biological molecules.

-- iTRAQ(TM) Reagents: The Applied Biosystems iTRAQ(TM) reagents generated simultaneous quantification and identification of the candidate biomarkers in multiple samples, which gave a more reliable foundation for biomarker discovery.

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The AppliedBiosystems Group serves the life science industry and researchcommunity by developing and marketing instrument-based systems,consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools toanalyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins tomake scientific discoveries and develop new pharmaceuticals. AppliedBiosystems' products also serve the needs of some markets outside oflife science research, which we refer to as "applied markets," such asthe fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternitytesting); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response tothe threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental,and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, forexample in food and the environment. Applied Biosystems isheadquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of over $1.9billion during fiscal 2006. The Celera Genomics Group is primarily amolecular diagnostics business that is using proprietary genomics andproteomics discovery platforms to identify and validate noveldiagnostic markers, and is developing diagnostic products based onthese markers as well as other known markers. Celera Genomicsmaintains a strategic alliance with Abbott Laboratories for thedevelopment and commercialization of molecular, or nucleic acid-based,diagnostic products, and it is also developing new diagnostic productsoutside of this alliance. Through its genomics and proteomics researchefforts, Celera Genomics is also discovering and validatingtherapeutic targets, and it is seeking strategic partnerships todevelop therapeutic products based on these discovered targets.Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and otherinformation filed by the company with the Securities and ExchangeCommission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning800.762.6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available athttp://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.

About MDS Sciex and MDS Inc.

MDS Sciex is the scientific instrumentation and technologysolutions division of MDS Inc. MDS Inc. (TSX:MDS)(NYSE:MDZ) has morethan 8,800 highly skilled people in 27 countries. It provides adiverse range of superior products and services to increase customers'speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and diseasediagnosis processes. MDS is a global, values-driven life sciencescompany, recognized for its reliability and collaborativerelationships that help create better outcomes in the treatment ofdisease. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-800-MDS-7222,24 hours a day.

1. According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 4.5million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. One in 10 individuals over65 and nearly half of those over 85 are affected by this disease.According to the National Parkinson Foundation, it is estimated that60,000 new Parkinson's disease cases are diagnosed each year in theUnited States, joining the 1.5 million Americans who currently haveParkinson disease. According to the Lewy Body Dementia Association,more than 800,000 people are affected by Dementia with Lewy Bodies,the second most frequent cause of degenerative dementia in elderlyadults.

2. The simultaneous testing alleviates the limitation of currentmass spectrometry, i.e. variation of ionization of peptides andsampling of ionized peptides.

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 phrasessuch as "believe," "expect," "should," "anticipate," and "planned,"among others. These forward-looking statements are based on AppleraCorporation's current expectations. The Private Securities LitigationReform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-lookingstatements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor,Applera Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actualresults and experience to differ materially from the anticipatedresults or other expectations expressed in such forward-lookingstatements. The risks and uncertainties that may affect theoperations, performance, development, and results of AppliedBiosystems businesses, including its new activities in the clinicaldiagnostics instrumentation market, include but are not limited to:(1) rapidly changing technology could adversely affect demand forApplied Biosystems' products, and its business is dependent ondevelopment and customer acceptance of new products; (2) AppliedBiosystems' sales are dependent on customers' capital spendingpolicies and government-sponsored research; and (3) other factors thatmight be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filingswith the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in thisnews release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does notundertake any duty to update this information, including anyforward-looking statements, unless required by law.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Applera and iTRAQ are trademarks and Applied Biosystems and Celeraare registered trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiariesin the US and/or certain other countries. MALDI TOF/TOF is a trademarkof Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX, a joint venture between AppleraCorporation and MDS Inc. (C) 2006 Applera Corporation and MDS Inc. AllRights Reserved.