Applied Biosystems Technology Used in Groundbreaking Genetic Research Unveiled at SNP 2005; SNP 2005 Draws World's Top Genetic Researchers

Business Wire, Sept 22, 2005

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & LEICESTERSHIRE, England -- Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) and SNPlex(TM) Genotyping Technology Fuels International Genetic Variation Studies for Common, Complex Diseases

Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced its technology will be featured this week in numerous presentations at the 7th International Meeting on Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Complex Genome Analysis (SNP 2005) in Leicestershire, United Kingdom.

Researchers from around the world, including the U.S. National Cancer Institute, National Genotyping Center of Spain, and University of Manchester, will present findings on the role of genetic variations in common, complex diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and psychiatric disorders. Presenting scientists used a combination of Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays, SNPbrowser(TM) Software, and SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System for high-throughput genetic association studies.

Using Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays and ABI PRISM(R) 7900HT Real-Time PCR System, the University of Kiel, Germany presented preliminary findings on genetic variants involved in fat metabolism and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.

"As type 2 diabetes becomes an increasing health problem around the world, we have been evaluating the genetic basis of this disease. Our gene association findings show how genes involved in the metabolism of fat may predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes," said Frank Doring, Professor, Molecular Nutrition, University of Kiel. "With Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays, we were able to rapidly design and implement cost effective and meaningful genetic association studies."

In addition, King's College of London used Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays in a large case control study to identify genetic variants associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

"Inflammatory bowel disease is a complex genetic disorder that is often difficult to diagnose and treat. With our study showing mutation of a regulator within a key transcription factor possibly predisposing individuals to inflammatory bowel disease, we hope the field will move one step closer to understanding the genetic basis of this disease and improving diagnosis and treatment," added Christopher Mathew, Professor, Molecular Genetics, King's College of London.

Other research utilizing Applied Biosystems technology includes studies on the role of genetic variation in kidney cancer, stroke, juvenile arthritis, and a range of psychiatric disorders, including eating disorders.

"Applied Biosystems SNP genotyping solutions are the technology of choice for human disease researchers and can be seen in the breadth of studies using our assays, instruments, and software at this prestigious conference," said Catherine M. Burzik, President, Applied Biosystems. "We are proud to offer complete and flexible solutions for disease association studies -- an area of research that will be central to successfully launching the industry into the era of targeted medicine."

About the International Meeting on Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Complex Genome Analysis (SNP 2005)

SNP 2005 is a leading international meeting focused on advanced research and commercial exploitation of genome variation. Coordinated by the University of Leicester, U.K.; University of California, San Francisco, U.S.; and the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the conference is sponsored by various academic and commercial sources, including the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Library of Medicine, EU Projects INFOBIOMED and MOLTOOLS, Merck Research Laboratories, and Applied Biosystems.

About Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Products

Applied Biosystems offers more than two million TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays to provide more robust coverage of the genome for gene-finding and human disease association studies. The line also offers Custom TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays for additional human SNPs and insertion-deletions, as well as support for polymorphisms in other species. These products help eliminate the labor, expense, and bioinformatics expertise previously necessary for generating high quality SNP genotyping data. The assays are part of the Applied Biosystems genotyping solution, which also includes Applied Biosystems Real-Time PCR Systems, multiplexed reagents, and DNA Analyzers.

The SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System provides a flexible, cost effective, and high throughput solution for genotyping projects by enabling large-scale, genomic discovery studies involving hundreds to thousands of SNPs, as well as the ability for researchers to easily design custom assays to study candidate genes.

SNPbrowser(TM) Software, a freely available software tool, provides a comprehensive database of more than five million SNP assays compatible with Applied Biosystems genotyping platforms, as well as numerous annotations and selection criteria useful for the design of disease association studies. The software is available for download at http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser.>