US equipment giant Celera has formally separated from its Applera business to allow the sale of Applera's Applied Biosystems brand to Invitrogen.

The Invitrogen purchase, announced two weeks ago, is worth AU$7 billion in cash and stocks.

Celera will now operate as an independent healthcare company, with a focus on personalising disease management, according to Celera president and CEO Kathy Ordones.

Applied Biosystems is a global leader in genetic sequencing and analysis technology.

Invitrogen, another global giant in laboratory equipment, is predicting that the merged corporation, which will specialise in the areas of genetic analysis, proteomics, cell biology and cell systems, will generate nearly AU$3.7 billion in annual sales.

The company's corporate headquarters will be located in Carlsbad, California.

The chairman and CEO of the company will be Gregory T. Lucier, and Mark P. Stevenson will become president and COO.

Applera shareholders will receive $38.00 per share.