Applied DNA Sciences Appoints Dr. Mehmood Khan to Company's Strategic Advisory Board

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwired - January 04, 2017) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (Applied DNA, "the Company") (NASDAQ: APDN), a provider of DNA-based supply-chain, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping and product authentication solutions, is delighted to announce that Dr. Mehmood Khan, PepsiCo's Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development, has joined the Company's Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) effective October 2016.

Dr. Khan leads PepsiCo's research and development efforts, creating breakthrough innovations in food and beverage product development, delivery, packaging and production technology. He also oversees PepsiCo's global Performance with Purpose agenda, focused on improving health and wellbeing through the products it sells; protecting the planet by reducing the environmental footprint of the company's operations and supply chain; and empowering people and social development around the world.

Dr. Khan was recently appointed Vice Chair of the US Council for Competitiveness and joined the Board of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research at the USDA (FFAR).

Dr. James Hayward, President and CEO of Applied DNA, said, "We are thrilled to have Dr. Khan's keen scientific insight and robust commercial experience to help us grow our business in new and growing markets. His decades of involvement in the global food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, as well as his depth of scientific innovation experience, are a perfect complement to Applied DNA as we expand our core vertical markets. With Dr. Khan's appointment to the FFAR, and its engagement with both the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Applied DNA hopes to optimize their benefits to American agronomy and to the world in general. We are honored to have him join our SAB."

Dr. Khan said, "Authentication and traceability across complex global supply chains is a critically important priority worldwide. Applied DNA is doing exciting work designed to create innovative solutions that make supply chains more secure. I am honored to join their Strategic Advisory Board and look forward to contributing to their ongoing efforts to protect the integrity of supply chains across industries."

Applied DNA Sciences formed its SAB in February 2016 to advance the company's penetration of key market verticals with the assistance of globally recognized experts in their fields. APDN Board Member, Bob Catell, former Chairman and CEO of KeySpan and National Grid's US Operations, chairs the SAB. Dr. Khan joins Gunther Faber, former Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa for GlaxoSmithKline, on the SAB.

About Applied DNA Sciences

Applied DNA Sciences makes life real and safe by providing biotechnology-driven solutions to help protect products, brands, entire supply chains, and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. Patented botanical DNA solutions can be used to identify, tag, track, and trace products, to help assure authenticity, traceability and quality of products. SigNature DNA is at the heart of a family of uncopyable, security and authentication solutions such as SigNature® T and fiberTyping®, targeted toward textiles and apparel, 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.

Go to adnas.com for more information, events and to learn more about how Applied DNA Sciences makes life real and safe. Our common stock is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol APDN, and our 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, which is 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.