EXHIBIT 99.1
[LYNX LOGO]




CONTACTS:
LYNX THERAPEUTICS, INC.                           INVESTOR CONTACTS:
Mary L. Schramke, Ph.D.                           Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates
Acting Chief Executive Officer                    Jody Cain (jcain@lhai.com)
510/670-9300                                      Bruce Voss (bvoss@lhai.com)
                                                  310/691-7100


                    LYNX OBTAINS $3.0 MILLION BRIDGE FACILITY

HAYWARD, CALIF. (DECEMBER 30, 2004) - Lynx Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: LYNX)
today announced that it has obtained a $3.0 million bridge facility through
Silicon Valley Bank, the primary subsidiary of Silicon Valley Bancshares
(Nasdaq: SIVB). The bridge facility is for general working capital needs and is
secured by Lynx's tangible and intangible assets.

"This funding will enable us to accelerate integration of the DNA technology
acquired earlier this year as we work diligently with Solexa towards our
anticipated business combination," said Mary L. Schramke, Ph.D., Lynx's acting
chief executive officer. "Additionally, this bridge financing will support our
operations until an equity financing is completed in 2005, as discussed in the
prospectus on Form S-4 we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) earlier this month."

On September 28, 2004, Lynx and United Kingdom-based Solexa Limited announced
the signing of a definitive agreement providing for the combination of the two
companies. On December 15, 2004 Lynx filed an amended Registration Statement on
Form S-4 regarding the proposed transaction with Solexa and other matters with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is available at the SEC's
Web site at www.sec.gov. The transaction, which is subject to approval by the
Lynx stockholders and acceptance by the Solexa shareholders, is expected to
close in the first quarter of 2005.

ABOUT SILICON VALLEY BANK

Silicon Valley Bank provides diversified financial services to emerging growth
and mature companies in the technology, life sciences and private equity
markets, as well as the premium wine industry. Through its focus on specialized
markets and extensive knowledge of the people and business issues driving them,
Silicon Valley Bank provides a level of service and partnership that measurably
impacts its clients' success. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Santa Clara,
Calif., the company serves more than 9,500 clients around the world through 26
domestic offices and two international subsidiaries in the U.K. and India. More
information on the company can be found at www.svb.com.

ABOUT LYNX

Lynx believes that it is a leader in the development and application of novel
genomic analysis solutions. By "novel," Lynx means next generation technology
that will take the engagement of thought leaders before broader commercial
acceptance can occur. Lynx's Massively Parallel Sequencing System (MPSS(TM))
consists of proprietary instrumentation and software that are used to analyze
millions of DNA molecules in parallel, enabling genome structure
characterization at an unprecedented level of resolution. As applied to gene
expression analysis, MPSS(TM) provides comprehensive and quantitative digital
information important to modern systems biology research in the pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and agricultural industries. For more information, visit Lynx's
Web site at www.lynxgen.com.



WHERE TO FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION

Lynx filed an amended Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-120101)
with the SEC on December 15, 2004 in connection with the proposed transaction
with Solexa, and Lynx expects to mail a Proxy Statement / Prospectus to
stockholders of Lynx and shareholders of Solexa containing information about the
transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT / PROSPECTUS, AS THEY MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME
TO TIME, CAREFULLY. THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT /
PROSPECTUS CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LYNX, SOLEXA, THE TRANSACTION AND
RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these
documents through the Web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Free
copies of the Proxy Statement / Prospectus and these other documents may also be
obtained from Lynx by directing a request through the Investor Resources section
of Lynx's site at www.lynxgen.com or by mail to Lynx Therapeutics, Inc., 25861
Industrial Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545, attention: Investor Relations, telephone:
510-670-9300.

In addition to the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement / Prospectus,
Lynx files annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other
information filed by Lynx at the SEC public reference room at 450 Fifth Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further
information on the public reference room. Lynx's filings with the SEC are also
available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the
Web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

INTERESTS OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN THE TRANSACTION

Lynx will be soliciting proxies from Lynx's stockholders in favor of the
issuance of shares of Lynx's common stock in the transaction. The directors and
executive officers of Lynx and the directors and officers of Solexa may be
deemed to be participants in Lynx's solicitation of proxies. Certain executive
officers and directors of Lynx and certain officers and directors of Solexa have
interests in the transaction that may differ from the interests of the Lynx
stockholders and the Solexa shareholders generally. These interests are
described in the Proxy Statement / Prospectus, as it may be amended from time to
time.

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements
related to the proposed business combination between Lynx and 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 are a number of important factors that could
cause the results of Lynx to differ materially from those indicated by these
forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to
time in Lynx's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2003, as amended, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for
the period ended September 30, 2004 and its amended Registration Statement on
Form S-4 on December 15, 2004. Lynx does not undertake any obligation to update
forward-looking statements.

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