TECHNE CORPORATION ADDS TO STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM Minneapolis/October 31, 2002/--Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) announces that its Board of Directors has authorized the expenditure of up to $20 million for the repurchase of additional shares of its Common Stock. Repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The source of funds will be the cash reserves and current earnings of the Company. Prior authorizations for the purchase of up to $20 million have resulted in the expenditure of $16.5 million and $3.5 million remains available from such authorizations. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Techne Corporation has two operating subsidiaries: Research and Diagnostic Systems, Inc. (R&D Systems) of Minneapolis, Minnesota and R&D Systems Europe, Ltd. (R&D Europe) of Abingdon, England. R&D Systems is a specialty manufacturer of biological products and R&D Europe is a distributor of biotechnology products. Contact: Kathy Backes, Controller (612) 379-8854