Logan, Utah – October 19, 2004 –
Perbio Science, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fisher Scientific International Inc. (NYSE: FSH), announces a new agreement with SoloHill Engineering, Inc. (Ann Arbor, Michigan). Under the agreement, Perbio will globally distribute and market SoloHill’s line of microcarrier beads under the brand name of HyClone® HyQ®Spheres™.

Microcarrier beads are used in cell culture to provide an attachment surface for adherent cell lines grown in suspension culture. Use of microcarriers enables adherent cell lines to be grown in large-scale stirred cultures, such as in bioreactors, reducing technical labor while increasing both cell yields and protein expression. The primary application for microcarriers is in the production of recombinant proteins and viral vaccines. SoloHill manufactures a line of microcarriers that are free of animal components, complementing the HyClone line of serum-free and ADCF™ (animal derived component free) media and reagents.

HyClone is a leading brand in cell-culture technology, and HyClone serum-free media received the 2003 Frost and Sullivan Drug Discovery Product of the Year. SoloHill has emerged as a world leader in the development of animal protein-free microcarrier beads and was recently awarded $1 million in SBIR grants from the NIH to develop a protocol for producing human flu vaccines utilizing microcarrier technology. Together Perbio and SoloHill will continue to develop cell-culture systems and protocols that utilize animal-free components throughout the entire manufacturing process.

For more information about microcarriers, contact:
Brandon Pence, Product Manager, HyClone, Phone: 435-792-8000, e-mail: brandon.pence@perbio.com

About Perbio Science and HyClone
HyClone is a brand of Perbio Science, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fisher Scientific International Inc. (NYSE: FSH), and part of Fisher’s Biochemicals group. HyClone is a leading global brand of cell-culture and bioprocessing systems for life-science research and protein-based drug production. HyClone is widely known as the premier brand of quality sera for cell culture, classical media, serum-free media and protein-free media. In addition, HyClone is a leading brand of flexible, single-use containers, BioProcess Container™ (BPC®) systems, which are sterile, disposable bags specifically designed for transporting, mixing, dispensing, and storing sterile liquids and powders. For more information about HyClone brand products call 435-792-8000; or e-mail info@hyclone.com; or visit the Web site at www.hyclone.com.

About SoloHill Engineering, Inc.
SoloHill was founded in 1984 and has become a world leader and innovator in microcarrier and cell culture technologies. The company conducts research, designs, manufactures, and markets a broad range of microcarrier beads and related products that are used extensively in the human and animal vaccine industries. In addition to human flu vaccine protocols, SoloHill research efforts have led to the development of commercial-type protocols for producing Marek’s disease vaccine and whole infected cell products. For additional information about SoloHill Engineering, Inc. please visit the Web site at www.solohill.com or contact the Michigan facility, toll free at 866-807-3953 or at 734-973-2956. Contact: Tim Solomon, SoloHill Engineering, Inc., e-mail tims@solohill.com.

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