Exhibit 99.1


            HARVARD BIOSCIENCE, INC. (TICKER: HBIO, EXCHANGE: NASDAQ)
                           NEWS RELEASE - MAY 1, 2001

              HARVARD BIOSCIENCE, INC. ACQUIRES WARNER INSTRUMENTS

HOLLISTON, Mass., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq: HBIO)
today announced the acquisition of Warner Instruments Corporation, a leader in
innovative cell and tissue electro-physiology research products.

Formed in 1988, Warner Instruments designs, manufactures, and markets a wide
array of products for cell and tissue electro-physiology research. Located in
Hamden Connecticut, Warner Instruments employs 26 people. Burt Warner and Vic
Pantani, the company's co-founders, will continue on as President and Director
of Engineering to manage the day-to day operations of the business. The
acquisition of this complimentary range of innovative, high quality products
further strengthens Harvard Bioscience's already comprehensive offering of
research tools.

"Through internal development of new products, strategic alliances, licensing of
new technology and acquisitions, our goal is to expand the range of products we
offer for use in drug discovery, thereby growing revenues 30% to 35% per year,"
said Chane Graziano, CEO of Harvard Bioscience. "Since we acquired Harvard
Bioscience in March of 1996 and implemented this strategy, our compound annual
growth rate has been 32%. The acquisition of Warner is consistent with this
strategy and we believe it will be immediately accretive."

Harvard Bioscience is a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of
innovative, enabling tools in drug discovery research at pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies, universities and government laboratories. HBIO sells
approximately 10,000 products to thousands of researchers in over 60 countries
though its 1,000 page catalog, and through its distributors, the most notable of
which is AP Biotech. HBIO has sales and manufacturing operations in the United
States, the United Kingdom, and Germany with sales facilities in France and
Canada, and distributors around the world.

This press release contains certain statements that are "forward-looking
statements" as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 and releases issued by the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including statements regarding Mr. Warner's and Mr. Pantani's future
management of Warner's day-to-day operations and Harvard Bioscience's
acquisition of Warner being immediately accretive and any inference as to
Harvard Bioscience's ability to expand its range of products and any inference
as to Harvard Bioscience's ability to grow revenues 30% to 35% per year. Such
statements are subject to uncertainties and risks that could cause the actual
results, performance or achievements of Harvard Bioscience to differ materially
from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. These uncertainties and risks
include the risk that Mr. Warner and Mr. Pantani will elect to terminate their
employment with Harvard Bioscience or will otherwise cease to remain with the
Harvard Bioscience, the risk that Harvard Bioscience will be




unable to develop or acquire additional products to expand its product
offerings, the risk that Harvard Bioscience will experience unforeseen problems
affecting its ability to achieve revenue growth consistent with its goals or
projections, uncertainties regarding the financial impact of the Warner
acquisition on Harvard Bioscience's results of operations in future periods and
particularly regarding whether its impact will be accretive to Harvard
Bioscience's earnings, uncertainties regarding the impact of the events
disclosed in this release on Harvard Bioscience's operations and its stock
price, and other risks detailed in Harvard Bioscience's Securities and Exchange
Commission filings.

Press releases and our product catalog can be found on our web site,
http://www.harvardbioscience.com.

SOURCE Harvard Bioscience, Inc.

CONTACT: Jim Warren, CFO, jwarren@harvardbioscience.com, David Green, President,
dgreen@harvardbioscience.com, or Chane Graziano, CEO,
cgraziano@harvardbioscience.com, all of Harvard Bioscience