Bio-Rad Purchases MJ GeneWorks, Inc.

Bio-Rad Purchases MJ GeneWorks, Inc. 


HERCULES, Calif., Aug. 18  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
(AMEX: BIO; BIOb), a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science
research products and clinical diagnostics, announced today that it has
completed the purchase of MJ GeneWorks, Incorporated, and its subsidiaries,
including MJ Research, Inc., for approximately $32 million in cash and the
assumption of certain liabilities of those companies, including liabilities
related to certain patent infringement litigation to which MJ Research is a
party, plus a cash earn-out based on the outcome of such litigation. The sale
is effective immediately. MJ Research, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, is a
life science company that specializes in premium instruments and consumables
used in modern biological research, including thermal cycling instrumentation
and reagents used to amplify DNA. MJ Research pioneered the use of
Peltier-effect technology and has introduced a number of other innovations in
the thermal-cycling field.

"The study of DNA and the function of genes continues to be an expanding area
in the life sciences. With the addition of MJ GeneWorks, Bio-Rad will be able
to provide researchers in this field with an expanded product portfolio of
innovative gene expression technology, backed by an unparalleled global support
network. The combined product vision is expected to fuel future developments in
this area," said Norman Schwartz, Bio-Rad President and CEO.

For more information visit http://www.bio-rad.com/info/MJR/

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (http://www.bio-rad.com/) is a multinational
manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical
diagnostics. It is based in Hercules, California, and serves more than 70,000
research and industry customers worldwide through a network of more than 30
wholly owned subsidiary offices.

Various statements made within this press release may constitute
"forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange
Commission's "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The
forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties
that could cause results to differ materially from the Company's expectations. 

DATASOURCE: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.



CONTACT:  Christine Tsingos, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer,

or Ron Hutton, Treasurer, both of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., [phone],

or 



Web site:  http://www.bio-rad.com/ 

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