Applied DNA Sciences to Provide Unique DNA Mark to Forward Components, Inc. for DNA-Marking of Microcircuits

STONY BROOK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 01/17/13 -- Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: APDN), (Twitter: @APDN), a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, announced today that Forward Components, Inc. (Forward Components Engineering, or FCE), based in Foothill Ranch, CA, has requested a unique DNA mark from APDN for DNA-marking for FSC 5962 microcircuits in accordance with the mandate issued by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The mandate requires use of APDN's SigNature® DNA marking on a certain class of microcircuits, FSC 5962.

FCE will be required to undergo an in-house inspection and training prior to receiving the unique DNA mark to determine if they will qualify to mark in-house or will require third party marking initially. Quality control testing is an ongoing requirement to ensure that all parts continue to be marked correctly for as long as FCE marks parts with a unique APDN DNA marker.

FCE is an authorized distributor and assembly/test facility for the military and aerospace hi-rel industries. The company will apply their SigNature DNA Provenance mark to electronic parts which have traceable documentation as well as parts known as non-trace legacy components. The latter, which comprise only about 5% of the business of FCE, are parts which lack traceability documentation, but which are subject to rigorous test and inspection methods at the FCE facility. These parts, sometimes called "obsolete," can be vital to many military applications due to the long life of much military equipment.

FCE owner and President Scott Wilkosz stated, "Forward Components is pleased to offer DNA-marking on their 5962 components as a value-added service. This technology fits well with our core philosophy of strong quality control and 'best-practice' solutions for our hi-rel customers. Outside of DLA, we invite other customers to request DNA-marked parts from us, knowing that they will essentially be procuring an added layer of forensic protection for their supply-chain."

The Provenance mark to be used by FCE is one of two forms of APDN's SigNature DNA mark: the SigNature Authenticity mark, which is intended to authenticate original products manufactured by OCMs, and the SigNature Provenance mark for distributed products that are marked after manufacture.

The majority of materials FCE distributes are fully traceable; however, when a customer, such as DLA, requests an obsolete legacy component that does not have traceability, the on-staff engineering team at FCE screens these parts using test and inspection methods outlined in the recently approved SAE standard AS6081. Only after these parts are subjected to the test and inspection methods, and are shown to meet AS6081 criteria, will FCE then apply their SigNature DNA Provenance mark.

Bob MacDowell, Senior Account Representative at APDN, commented: "This DNA Provenance Mark will be unique to FCE, and is a testimony to their commitment to quality and best practices for the hi-rel component business."

Dr. James A. Hayward, President and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences, stated: "We are pleased to welcome FCE as another partner in the effort to protect the military supply chain and bring additional value to their businesses. As the DLA-mandated program for DNA marking and authentication grows and develops, we continue to widen the options for electronics companies wishing to join the program and gain its benefits."

About Forward Components Engineering

FCE is an authorized distributor and assembly/test facility for the military and aerospace hi-rel industries. With an on-site engineering staff and a technical sales team, Forward is able to utilize first-class quality systems and in-depth product to offer customers solution-based programs, including distribution and logistics services, cable and harness assembly, through-hole board assembly, and military compliant/RFID packaging. FCE offers extensive test capabilities for AC, DC, and functional testing for a wide array of devices in support of current and legacy programs. Parts inspections are compliant with IDEA-STD-1010 and the appropriate MIL-STD-883 standards. FCE is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company and has successfully contracted with various branches of the Armed Forces and Primes in support of the MV22, Blue Force Tracker, F/A-18 and many other vital programs critical to the success of the American Warfighter. For more information please contact us at info@forwardcomponents.com.

About Applied DNA Sciences

APDN is a provider of botanical-DNA based security and authentication solutions that can help protect products, brands and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. SigNature® DNA and smartDNA™, our principal anti-counterfeiting and product authentication solutions that essentially cannot be copied, provide a forensic chain of evidence and can be used to prosecute perpetrators.

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 20, 2012 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.