HAYWARD, Calif. & CAMBRIDGE, UK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 2005--Solexa, Inc. (Nasdaq:SLXA) today announced that John West, chief executive officer of Solexa, will participate in panel presentation at the 2005 BIO InvestorForum today, Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (3:30 p.m. Pacific Time). The presentation, entitled "Cancer Genome Project, Part I: Implications for Sequencing Technology," will discuss the Human Cancer Genome Project and its implications for technology and therapeutic industry participants.

The goal of the Human Cancer Genome Project is to obtain a comprehensive description of the genetic basis of cancer. The ultimate aim of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to better understand the initiation, progression, response to therapy and diagnosis of cancer. This comprehensive knowledge of the genetic basis of cancer would provide a permanent foundation for all future cancer research and would have far-reaching implications for the creation of new diagnostics and therapeutics. As contemplated, this ten-year, $1.5 billion effort would profile 50 tumor types, each in 250 individuals. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which supported the NIH component of the Human Genome Project, have jointly committed a total of $100 million in a pilot project to begin in 2006.

Interested investors may gain access to a live audio webcast of the presentation via the Internet by visiting the "News-Conferences and Exhibitions" section of the Company's Web site at www.solexa.com. The presentation will be archived on the Web site and available for 14 days. Additional information about the 2005 BIO InvestorForum is available at www.bio.org.

About Solexa

Solexa, Inc. is developing and preparing to commercialize a new genetic analysis instrument system which will be used to perform a range of analyses including whole genome resequencing, gene expression analysis and micro-RNA analysis. Solexa expects its first-generation technology to generate over a billion bases of DNA sequence per run and to enable whole genome resequencing below $100,000 per sample, making it the first platform to reach this important milestone. Solexa's longer-term goal is to reduce the cost of human re-sequencing to a few thousand dollars for use in a wide range of applications from basic research through clinical diagnostics. The Company expects to introduce its first instrument system by the end of 2005. For further information, please visit www.solexa.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the current views of Solexa management as to future products, product development including the commercial introduction of the Company's novel genetic analysis technology, the expansion and success of Solexa's commercial application of its genomics technologies and the future financial performance of Solexa. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "predicts," "expects," "envisions," "hopes," "estimates," "intends," "will," "continue," "may," "potential," "should," "confident," "could" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such expectations of any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be correct, and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Solexa to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2005. Solexa does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

    CONTACT: Solexa, Inc.
             Omead Ostadan, 510-670-9300
             oostadan@solexa.com
             European Media Contact:
             Northbank Communications
             Sue Charles, +44 (0)20 7886 8152
             s.charles@northbankcommunications.com
               or
             Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates
             Investor Contacts:
             Jody Cain (jcain@lhai.com)
             Mariann Ohanesian (mohanesian@lhai.com)
             U.S. Media Contact:
             Mark Stuart (mstuart@lhai.com)
             310-691-7100

    SOURCE: Solexa, Inc.