Applied DNA's Molecular SigNature(TM) Technology Debuts in Bed Bath & Beyond Home Fashions Line

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwired - May 01, 2017) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. ("Applied DNA or the Company,") (NASDAQ: APDN), a provider of DNA-based supply chain, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping and product authentication solutions, announced the debut of its textile molecular tag technology, SigNature^® T, in Bed Bath & Beyond^®'s¹ Wamsutta^®2 line, featuring PimaCott^®3, is now available at locations nationwide and online. SigNature T verifies that the Wamsutta home fashions products sold to consumers are pure Pima cotton, grown in the San Joaquin Valley, California. Products include comforters, pillow cases and shams. Additional information on Wamsutta PimaCott -- including the molecular traceability aspects of the Wamsutta PimaCott line -- can be found at Explore Wamsutta PimaCott.

The introduction of the Wamsutta line featuring PimaCott at Bed Bath & Beyond today follows Applied DNA's announcement in December 2016 that, through one of its partners, the Company would provide its SigNature T products and services platform to empower textile supply chain security for one of the largest US-based retailers over an extended multi-year period with established revenue thresholds.

SigNature T is a botanical-based molecular tag that attaches tenaciously to the cotton fiber, ensuring reliable, secure traceability throughout the entire manufacturing process in the U.S. and abroad. Cotton is indelibly tagged with SigNature T at the gin in the U.S. The tagged cotton is then verified throughout the supply chain. Points of verification include:

• Before leaving the U.S. once it has been baled and assigned a unique bale ID.
• After the raw cotton has been spun into yarn, and at various points after the yarn has been woven to be cut and sewn into home textile products.
• Before being shipped back to the U.S.

"We can now preserve the integrity of premium U.S. cotton throughout the supply chain, promoting its traceability to farms which grow and produce responsibly and its purity without the blending of inferior cottons," said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences. "Today, consumers care deeply about where their products originate. With our technology, retailers and brands can be confident that the products on their shelves are true to the label."

Consumers recently voiced their concerns over product transparency through a survey conducted in December 2016 by Harris Poll, on behalf of Applied DNA. The poll surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults over the age of 18, finding that thirty percent of Americans said they would completely stop purchasing a brand if the brand made a false product claim about a bedding/clothing product being 100 percent organic, 100 percent Pima cotton, or other claim of this type. Additionally, roughly three in five Americans (61 percent) said if they found a brand made their bedding/clothing products from raw cotton that was picked by child/forced laborers, they would no longer purchase the brand.

"We are pleased to help bring the new standard in Pima cotton purity to the marketplace, with a technology that guarantees product authenticity," said MeiLin Wan, Vice President for Textiles at Applied DNA. "SigNature T is the solution that provides certainty not only for consumers, but also for retailers. In addition, U.S. farmers that grow cotton now have the knowledge that their cotton is protected throughout the supply chain."

¹ The Bed Bath & Beyond trademark is the registered trademark of Liberty Procurement Co, Inc.

² The Wamsutta trademark is the registered trademark of BWAO LLC.

³ The PimaCott trademark is the registered trademark of Himatsingka America Inc.

About Applied DNA Sciences

Applied DNA Sciences makes life real and safe by providing innovative, molecular-based technology solutions and services that can help protect products, brands, entire supply chains, and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. The proprietary DNA-based "CertainT™" platform can be used to identify, tag, track, and trace products, to help assure authenticity, origin, traceability and quality of products. SigNature^® DNA describes the core technology ingredient that is at the heart of a family of uncopyable, security and authentication solutions such as SigNature^® T and fiberTyping^®, targeted toward textiles and apparel, BackTrac™ and DNAnet^®, for anti-theft and loss prevention, and digitalDNA^®, providing powerful track- and-trace. All provide a forensic chain of evidence, and can be used to prosecute perpetrators. Applied DNA Sciences is also engaged in the large-scale production of specific DNA sequences using the polymerase chain reaction.

Go to adnas.com for more information, events and to learn more about how Applied DNA Sciences makes life real and safe. Common stock listed on NASDAQ under the symbol APDN, and warrants are listed under the symbol APDNW.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements made by APDN in this press release may be "forward-looking" in nature within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. 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 6, 2016, and our subsequent quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed on February 9, 2017, which are available at www.sec.gov. 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, unless otherwise required by law.