Helicos BioSciences Applauds the Nomination of Dr. Francis Collins as NIH Director

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Helicos BioSciences Corporation (NASDAQ:HLCS) applauds the nomination of Francis
Collins, M.D., Ph.D., as the new director of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). President Obama announced the nomination yesterday.

"As a pioneer and visionary in the field of genomics and medicine, as well as a
physician, author and parent with a constant focus on the needs of the patient,
Dr. Collins stands poised to lead the quest for the personalization of
healthcare", stated Patrice Milos, Helicos VP and Chief Scientific Officer.
"While many have shied away from the complexity of working across public/private
partnerships, Dr. Collins recognized the good which can come from bringing
diverse parties to the table in the search for understanding human disease.
Further, his ability to drive technology investments, again through both public
and private funding, has positioned companies like Helicos for contributing to
this quest. We believe these same attributes will be critical to integrating the
knowledge of the genome into the entire depth and breadth that NIH has to offer.
The qualities that made Dr. Collins successful during his directorship at the
National Human Genome Research Institute; his partnership, vision, innovation
and broad sense of community, will be required to improve healthcare in the
United States."

Dr. Collins and his staff at the NHGRI have played an important role in
advancing technology solutions that unravel the complexity of the human genome,
as well as the relationship between human genome diversity and disease
understanding. As the community celebrates the fifth anniversary of the NHGRI
Advanced Sequencing Technology Awards program, funded to aid development of
revolutionary technologies such as single molecule sequencing of which Helicos
BioSciences Corporation is a beneficiary, we are keenly aware of the importance
of Dr. Collins` vision and insight into the important role that technological
advancements play in the personalization of healthcare.

"The United States requires a leader with Dr. Collins` ability to reach across
boundaries to bring this country together in solving the healthcare issues we
face today. Technological innovation should remain as a pillar of our collective
vision to achieve great things for humanity" stated Steve Lombardi, Helicos
president. "We stand ready to support Dr. Collins in his nomination and in his
vision for personalized medicine."

About Helicos BioSciences:

Helicos BioSciences is a life science company focused on innovative genetic
analysis technologies for the research, drug discovery, and diagnostic markets.
Helicos' proprietary True Single Molecule Sequencing, tSMS(TM), technology
allows direct measurement of billions of strands of DNA enabling scientists to
perform experiments and ask questions never before possible. Helicos is a
recipient of the $1,000 genome grant and committed to providing scientists the
tools to unlock the era of genomic medicine. The company's corporate
headquarters are located at One Kendall Square, Building 700, Cambridge, MA
02139, and its telephone number is (617) 264-1800. For more information, please
visit www.helicosbio.com.

Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical
information are forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This
press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to
management's plans, objectives and strategies. These statements are neither
promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond Helicos' control, which could cause
actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these
forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include,
among other things, our ability to successfully complete and/or scale the
manufacturing and commercialization process for the Helicos Genetic Analysis
System; our history of operating losses and ability to achieve profitability;
our ability to sustain and scale our manufacturing capabilities; the research
and development spending levels of academic, clinical and governmental research
institutions and pharmaceutical, biotechnology and agriculture companies who may
purchase our Helicos Genetic Analysis System; our reliance on third-party
suppliers; competition; changing technology and customer requirements; our
ability to operate in an emerging market; market acceptance of our technology;
the length of our sales and implementation cycles; our dependence on large
contracts for the sale and implementation of our Helicos Genetic Analysis
System; failure of our technology and products; our ability to maintain customer
relationships and contracts; ethical, legal and social concerns surrounding the
use of genetic information; our ability to retain our personnel and hire
additional skilled personnel; our ability to manage our growth while operating
with limited resources; our ability to control our operating expenses; general
economic and business conditions; our ability to obtain capital when desired on
favorable terms; and the volatility of the market price of our common stock.
Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.
Helicos undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained
in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or
circumstances or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other
risks faced by Helicos, see the disclosure contained in Helicos' public filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor Relations:
Helicos BioSciences Corporation
Susan Shepard, 617-264-1850

Copyright Business Wire 2009