FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), announced today that it has acquired the technology and other assets of the FFE Weber GmbH business, a privately held company based in Munich, Germany that specializes in the separation and fractionation of complex proteins. The financial terms, which are not material to BD, were not disclosed.

These technologies are targeted at the emerging field of proteomics, which is growing increasingly important in the academic research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and clinical diagnostic markets. As proteomic research has grown, customer interests in the improvement of protein separation performance, especially relative to resolution, process reliability, and a universal front-end have also expanded.

"The need to improve and eventually standardize the preanalytical process leading to protein analytics is significant," said William Kozy, President, BD Diagnostics. "The inherent complexity and dynamic range of proteins within a human plasma sample make it difficult to detect the very low abundance proteins that may prove indicative of a disease state. New techniques for both clinical sample collection and processing are needed. This novel protein separation technology we have acquired from FFE Weber GmbH provides an important preanalytical separation step that will help proteomics researchers to find, characterize and validate new classes of biomarkers."

FFE Weber GmbH was founded by Dr. Gerhard Weber, who has functioned as owner and lead inventor for many years and will continue to work closely with BD. Located near the Max-Planck Institute in Munich, FFE Weber GmbH manufactures and sells the Free Flow Electrophoresis protein separation system. This technology enables a preanalytical protein separation step that, when used in combination with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), 2D-gel and mass spectrometry-based protein analytical procedures, allows deeper interrogation into the plasma proteome than is possible with current methodologies.

"This acquisition represents an important step in BD's strategy to invest in emerging technologies which position the company in areas that hold promise for new diagnostic methods, such as the evolution of protein biomarker research into the clinical diagnostic lab of the future," said Edward J. Ludwig, BD Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

"BD has proven expertise in bringing important new technology platforms from pure research application into clinical utility," said Dr. Weber. "Although the current focus for our protein fractionation platform is academic protein analytics and biomarker discovery, the clinical diagnostic potential for proteomics cannot be ignored. BD Diagnostics will ensure the proper application of this technology in the research segment and its potential evolution into clinical laboratory workflow."

Visit http://www.bd.com/proteomics for more information about the BD(TM) Free Flow Electrophoresis system.

About BD

BD is a medical technology company that serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry, and the general public. BD manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, BD reported total revenues of $4.935 billion.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements (as defined under Federal securities laws) regarding BD's performance, including future revenues, earnings per share and income, or events or developments that BD expects to occur or anticipates occurring in the future. All such statements are based upon current expectations of BD and involve a number of business risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary materially from anticipated results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statement. With respect to forward-looking statements contained herein, factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from any forward- looking statement include, but are not limited to: competitive factors; pricing and market share pressures; changes in interest or foreign currency exchange rates; difficulties inherent in product development and delays in product introductions; changes in regional, national or foreign economic conditions; increases in energy costs and their effect on, among other things, the cost of producing BD's products; fluctuations in costs and availability of raw materials and in BD's ability to maintain favorable supplier arrangements and relationships; uncertainties of litigation (as described in BD's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission) and changes in healthcare or other governmental regulation; issuance of new or revised accounting standards, as well as other factors discussed in BD's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend to update any forward- looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof except as required by applicable laws or regulations.

SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)

Patricia A. Spinella, Investor Relations, +1-201-847-5453, or Colleen T. White,
Corporate Communications, +1-201-847-5369, both of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)
(BDX)