Exhibit 99.15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LJL BIOSYSTEMS WITHDRAWS FOLLOW-ON PUBLIC OFFERING

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2000--LJL Biosystems, Inc.
(Nasdaq: LJLB) announced today that in light of current market conditions, it
would not proceed with its proposed follow-on public offering. On Tuesday
March 14, 2000, LJL Biosystems filed a registration statement with the
Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed public offering of
2,875,000 shares of common stock. LJL Biosystems will file an application
with the Securities and Exchange Commission to withdraw the filing of the
registration statement.

   About LJL BioSystems, Inc.

LJL BioSystems designs, produces and sells infrastructure tools that
accelerate and enhance the process of discovering new drugs in the genomics
and post-genomics era. Our products, including instruments and consumables,
are designed to provide flexible, cost-efficient, high throughput solutions
that can be used across all stages of the drug discovery process, including
screening and genotyping. Our worldwide customers include pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and genomics companies as well as research institutions. LJL's
customers include, among others, AstraZeneca, Aventis, Bristol Myers Squibb,
SmithKline Beecham, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, Johnson and Johnson, Tularik,
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, and Incyte. LJL is headquartered in
Sunnyvale, California and has a subsidiary in the United Kingdom. Additional
information can be found at www.ljlbio.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this news release, other than statements of historical
fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act, including statements regarding LJL's "expectations",
"goals", "beliefs", "hopes", "designs", "intentions", "strategies" or the
like. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially, including such factors, among others, as
the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development and
market acceptance of new products, the ability to raise capital,
concentration of HTS and Ultra-HTS markets, market conditions, the mix
between domestic and international sales, manufacturing and cost of LJL's
products, dependence on collaborative partners, the enforcement of
intellectual property rights, and uncertainties relating to sole source
suppliers, technological approaches, FDA and other regulatory approvals.
These and other risk factors are discussed in LJL's Annual Report on Form
10-K, filed February 16, 2000, and its Registration Statement on Form S-3
filed on March 14, 2000 (see, in particular, Risk Factors and Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations).
LJL disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking
statements. As a result of these and other factors, LJL expects to experience


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significant fluctuations in operating results, and there can be no assurance
that LJL will become or remain consistently profitable in the future.

For information on LJL BioSystems, Inc., contact Larry Tannenbaum, Chief
Financial Officer, at 408-548-0542 or ltannenbaum@ljlbio.com.

CONTACT: LJL BioSystems, Inc:
Larry Tannenbaum, 408/548-0542
ltannenbaum@ljlbio.com
or
Friestedt International
Susanne Friestedt, 619/223-8844
friestint@aol.com



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