TECHNE CORPORATION NAMES GREGORY J. MELSEN VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Minneapolis, MN, December 20, 2004--Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) announced that Gregory J. Melsen has been named Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Melsen was most recently Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at PLATO Learning, Inc. (NASDAQ: TUTR), an educational software company, which he had joined in February 2002. Previously, he was Vice President of Finance, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of American Medical Systems Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded medical device manufacturer, from March 1999 through July 2001. From January 1996 to March 1999, Mr. Melsen was Vice President of Finance, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of AVECOR Cardiovascular Inc., a publicly traded medical device company that Medtronic, Inc. acquired in March 1999. His 30-year tenure in accounting and finance includes two years as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PACE Incorporated, an environmental testing company, and 19 years with Deliotte & Touche, including nine years as an audit partner. Mr. Melsen is a Certified Public Accountant.

Commenting on Mr. Melsen's appointment, Thomas E. Oland, Chairman and CEO of Techne, said: "I've known Greg since he joined Touche Ross in 1974 and I've worked with him in the late 80's and early 90's while he served as Touche Ross's audit partner on Techne's audit. Over the years, I have seen him develop from a young professional to a seasoned financial executive. I have the greatest respect for him and I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with him again. His financial expertise and previous knowledge of Techne and R&D Systems and our business make him uniquely qualified for this position." Kathy Backes, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Techne, said: "I worked with Greg when he was the Touche Ross Audit Partner on Techne's audit. I've enjoyed working with him personally and professionally and I'm very pleased that he has made the decision to join our Company."

Mr. Melsen will assume the responsibility for the overall financial management of the Company. This includes management of the finance and accounting functions and investor relations. He will also assume many administrative responsibilities including management of the Company's IT and facilities departments.

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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