Invitrogen Begins Global Distribution of High-Quality Custom Oligonucleotides at Expanded Scale; High-Value 25nmole Scale Doubles Customer Oligo Quantity Without Raising Price

Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN), a leading lifesciences company with a broad portfolio of technologies to improve andaccelerate biomedical research, drug discovery and commercialbioproduction, today announced the introduction of tube-based oligosat the 25nmole starting synthesis scale. The new tube-based offeringsdeliver significant value to the life science market, enablingresearchers to effectively procure more than twice as much quantity ofhigh-quality primers for the same competitive price they werepreviously paying for tube-based oligos synthesized at the 10nmolestarting synthesis scale. This scale change is a further outcome ofthe collaboration with Illumina.

Oligos are an essential starting point for a broad scope of drugdiscovery and molecular diagnostic applications including geneexpression studies, biomarker analysis and functional genomicsexperiments. The increased complexity of such applications increasesthe demand for the highest quality oligos.

Invitrogen Corporation and Illumina, Inc. are collaborating tomanufacture, sell, and support oligo products in both plates and tubesto researchers worldwide. Coupled with Invitrogen's globaldistribution and customer support, Illumina's cutting edge oligomanufacturing technology provides a broad array of superior qualityoligonucleotide products and services. Invitrogen and Illuminaannounced in December 2004 a strategic alliance to combine their DNAsynthesis, distribution and marketing capabilities.

"This collaboration has allowed Invitrogen to create a fullyautomated synthesis system by applying state of the art technology forplates and tubes," said Nicolas Barthelemy, Invitrogen Senior VicePresident, Operations. "Combined with our world-class customer serviceand technical support, we are providing increased value to researchersby offering superior oligos at very competitive prices."

The Invitrogen and Illumina custom DNA oligo production processesare driven by Illumina's proprietary synthesis platform whichunderpins the world's largest oligonucleotide manufacturing capacity.In addition to synthesis capabilities, Illumina's highly automatedmanufacturing process results in accuracy and efficiency from orderentry to documentation and shipping. Invitrogen and Illumina havecoordinated respective enterprise IT systems to integrate oligoordering, synthesis and distribution.

"As a part of our collaboration, we have significantly expandedsynthesis capacity, post-processing infrastructure, and automatedorder management," said John Stuelpnagel, Illumina Senior VicePresident and COO. "Our customers will benefit from the increasedrange and availability of products brought about by these efforts."

Rigorous quality control is ensured through the use of Illumina'sDNA synthesis technology. Every oligo manufactured using thistechnology is quality controlled using 100 percent in-process tritylmonitoring in real time, ensuring the quality of the process, not justthe end product.

About Invitrogen

Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN) provides products andservices that support academic and government research institutionsand pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their efforts toimprove the human condition. The company provides essential lifescience technologies for disease research, drug discovery, andcommercial bioproduction. Invitrogen's own research and developmentefforts are focused on breakthrough innovation in all major areas ofbiological discovery including functional genomics, proteomics,bioinformatics and cell biology -- placing Invitrogen's products innearly every major laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987,Invitrogen is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and conductsbusiness in more than 70 countries around the world. The companyglobally employs approximately 4,800 scientists and otherprofessionals and had revenues of more than $1 billion in 2004. Formore information, visit www.invitrogen.com.

About Illumina

Illumina (www.illumina.com) is developing next-generation toolsfor the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. TheCompany's proprietary BeadArray(TM) technology -- now used in leadinggenomics centers around the world -- provides the throughput, costeffectiveness and flexibility necessary to enable researchers in thelife sciences and pharmaceutical industries to perform the billions oftests necessary to extract medically valuable information fromadvances in genomics and proteomics. This information will help pavethe way to personalized medicine by correlating genetic variation andgene function with particular disease states, enhancing drugdiscovery, allowing diseases to be detected earlier and morespecifically, and permitting better choices of drugs for individualpatients.

Safe Harbor/Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release are considered"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the PrivateSecurities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and it is Invitrogen's andIllumina's intent that such statements be protected by the safe harborcreated thereby. Forward-looking statements include, but are notlimited to: 1) Customers will benefit from the collaboration'sincreased range and availability of products; 2) Illumina's highlyautomated manufacturing process results in complete accuracy andefficiency from order entry to documentation and shipping; and 3)Rigorous quality control is ensured through the use of Illumina's DNAsynthesis technology. Potential risks and uncertainties include, butare not limited to, the risks: a) The collaboration's changes in oligomanufacturing and distribution may have no measurable effect oncustomer work; b) Actual results are dependent on a number of factorssuch as order complexity and availability, c) Quality control isdependent on a number of factors, as well as other risks anduncertainties detailed from time to time in Invitrogen's andIllumina's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.