Item 2.05 Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.

On December 3, 2008, Helicos BioSciences Corporation ("Helicos" or the "Company") committed to a work force reduction plan that will result in the reduction of approximately 30% of the Company's workforce, during the fourth quarter of 2008 (the "Reduction in Force Plan"). The Reduction in Force Plan is designed to reduce the Company's operating costs and direct its resources to continue advancing towards the Company's near term goals. Employees directly affected by the Reduction in Force Plan will be provided with severance payments and outplacement assistance.

The Company expects to incur restructuring charges relating to one-time termination benefits of approximately $450,000 in the fourth quarter of 2008. These charges represent employee severance and termination costs which will be paid out during the fourth quarter of 2008 and will continue into the first quarter of 2009. The charges that Helicos expects to incur in connection with the Reduction in Force Plan are subject to a number of assumptions, and actual results may materially differ.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure

We have examined our practice of providing forward-looking financial and system order guidance and have made the decision to suspend providing such forward-looking guidance. Accordingly, we retract all previous guidance, including with respect to order guidance for 2008 through the second quarter of 2009. We may resume providing forward-looking guidance when there is more visibility to the market uptake rate for our products.

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