SENOMYX PATENT PORTFOLIO EXPANDS WITH 50 ADDITIONAL ISSUED PATENTSSenomyx's Intellectual Property Portfolio Includes 230 Issued

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SAN DIEGO, CA – February 9, 2011 – Senomyx, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNMX), a leading company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries, announced today that the Company's patent portfolio increased by 50 issued patents during 2010. As of year-end, Senomyx was the owner or exclusive licensee of 230 issued patents and several hundred pending patent applications in the U.S., Europe, and numerous other countries. The Company's patents and patent applications include claims regarding the use of human taste receptors related to sweet, umami (savory), bitter, and other taste sensations for the discovery of novel flavor ingredients, as well as composition and usage claims for new flavor ingredients.

"Senomyx is diligent in strengthening our proprietary technology in the field of flavor discovery," said Kent Snyder, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "2010 was a productive year during which we increased our intellectual property portfolio by 50 issued patents. We believe our IP is an important asset for Senomyx in both the U.S. and abroad.

"Senomyx's extensive patent portfolio has been integral for the establishment of product discovery, development, and commercialization collaborations with world-class food, beverage, and ingredient supply companies," Snyder added. "Our novel assay systems have helped Senomyx discover and develop new flavor ingredients that have beneficial properties for consumers and provide competitive advantages for our commercialization partners."

"Senomyx's receptor-based screening assays are significantly more efficient than traditional flavor discovery methods," stated Donald S. Karanewsky, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at the Company. "Our high-throughput systems allow us to evaluate thousands of potential new ingredients per week.

"Taste receptors, which are proteins found on the surface of taste cells, interact with food ingredients and allow us to experience different taste sensations," Karanewsky explained. "For example, the T1R taste receptors enable us to perceive sweet and savory tastes, and the T2R receptors are associated with bitter tastes.

"Senomyx has multiple patents with claims regarding the use of taste receptors in assays designed to identify new flavor ingredients that induce or modulate sweet, savory, bitter, and other taste sensations," Karanewsky noted. "These include more than 200 patents and patent applications in the U.S. and many foreign countries related to our sweet taste research program.

"In addition to protecting our discovery methods, Senomyx's issued or pending patents have composition claims for new ingredients developed under our sweet, savory, bitter, and cool flavor programs. Related claims include product applications for these ingredients, such as their use in foods, beverages, or pharmaceutical products," Karanewsky said.

"As we make new advances in taste science, Senomyx actively seeks further patent protection for our discoveries and inventions, including claims associated with additional receptor sequences, taste receptor function, expression and assay technologies, and flavor ingredients and applications," Karanewsky stated.

About Senomyx, Inc. (www.senomyx.com)

Senomyx is a leading company using proprietarytaste receptortechnologies to discover and developnovel flavor ingredientsin the savory, sweet, salt, bitter, and cooling areas. The Company hasproduct discovery and development collaborationswith global food, beverage, and ingredient supply companies, some of which are currently marketing products that contain Senomyx's flavor ingredients. For more information, please visitwww.senomyx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: Senomyx's ability to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for use as sweet enhancers of sucrose, fructose and Rebaudioside (stevia); the capabilities and potential uses of Senomyx's flavor ingredients; Senomyx's ability or Firmenich's ability to commercialize products incorporating Senomyx's flavor ingredients for use in foods and beverages and Senomyx's right to receive milestones and royalties under its agreements with Firmenich; and the speed of commercialization, revenue potential and market acceptance of sweet enhancing flavor ingredients. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: Senomyx is dependent on its product discovery and development collaborators for all of Senomyx's revenue; Senomyx is dependent on its current and any future product discovery and development collaborators to develop and commercialize any flavor ingredients Senomyx may discover; Flavor ingredients developed under the agreement may not be useful or cost-effective for formulation into products; Senomyx or Firmenich may be unable to obtain and maintain the regulatory approvals required for novel flavor ingredients to be incorporated into products that are sold; products that incorporate Senomyx flavor ingredients may never be commercially successful; and Senomyx's ability to compete in the flavor ingredients market may decline if Senomyx does not adequately protect its proprietary technologies. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Senomyx's most recently filed SEC documents, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings "Risks Related to Our Business" and "Risks Related to Our Industry." All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Senomyx undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

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News Source : SENOMYX PATENT PORTFOLIO EXPANDS WITH 50 ADDITIONAL ISSUED PATENTSSenomyx's Intellectual Property Portfolio Includes 230 Issued Patents in the U.S., Europe, and Numerous Other Countries