As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 23, 2011

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

SEQUENOM, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware	77-0365889
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

3595 John Hopkins Court

San Diego, California 92121

(858) 202-9000

(Address, Including Zip Code and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Harry F. Hixson, Jr.

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

3595 John Hopkins Court

San Diego, California 92121

(858) 202-9000

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

Copies to:

L. Kay Chandler, Esq. Charles S. Kim, Esq. Cooley LLP 4401 Eastgate Mall San Diego, California 92121 Telephone: (858) 550-6000 Clarke W. Neumann, Esq. Vice President and General Counsel Sequenom, Inc. 3595 John Hopkins Court San Diego, California 92121 Telephone: (858) 202-9000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement of the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.

Large accelerated filer	¨	Accelerated filer	x
Non-accelerated filer	¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company	¨

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered	Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Security	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price	Amount of Registration Fee (1)
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, including related rights to purchase Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock	(2)	(3)	(3)	—
Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share	(2)	(3)	(3)	—
Debt Securities	(2)	(3)	(3)	—
Warrants	(2)	(3)	(3)	—
Total	(2)		$150,000,000	$17,190

(1) Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.

(2) There are being registered hereunder such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock, such indeterminate principal amount of debt securities and such indeterminate number of warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities as may be sold by the registrant from time to time, which together shall have an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $150,000,000. If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price of such debt securities shall be in such greater principal amount at maturity as shall result in an aggregate offering price not to exceed $150,000,000, less the aggregate dollar amount of all securities previously issued hereunder. Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or in combination with the other securities registered hereunder. The proposed maximum offering price per security will be determined, from time to time, by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder. The securities registered hereunder also include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock and amount of debt securities as may be issued upon conversion of or in exchange for preferred stock or debt securities that provide for conversion or exchange, upon exercise of warrants or pursuant to the antidilution provisions of any of such securities. In addition, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock as may be issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(3) The proposed maximum aggregate offering price per class of security will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information contained in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to completion, dated November 23, 2011

PROSPECTUS

$150,000,000

Sequenom, Inc.

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

We may, from time to time, offer to sell up to $150,000,000 of any of the securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in combination, at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also offer common stock or preferred stock upon conversion of debt securities, common stock upon conversion of preferred stock, or common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of warrants.

This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to an offering of our securities. The specific terms and any other information relating to a specific offering will be set forth in a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or in a supplement to this prospectus or may be set forth in one or more documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus, the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

Securities may be sold by us to or through underwriters or dealers, directly to purchasers or through agents designated from time to time. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters and any applicable discounts or commissions and over-allotment options will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SQNM.” On November 22, 2011, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market was $4.14 per share.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” on page 7 of this prospectus and as updated in our future filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is             ,         .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page
About this Prospectus		i
Prospectus Summary		1
Risk Factors		7
Forward-Looking Statements		7
Financial Ratios		8
Use of Proceeds		9
Description of Capital Stock		10
Description of Debt Securities		16
Description of Warrants		23
Legal Ownership of Securities		25
Plan of Distribution		28
Legal Matters		30
Experts		30
Where You Can Find More Information		30
Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference		31

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer to sell or seeking an offer to buy securities under this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein are accurate only as of their respective dates, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security.

About this Prospectus

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration statement, we may sell from time to time in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $150,000,000 of common stock, preferred stock, various series of debt securities and warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in combination as described in this prospectus. Each time we sell any type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain more specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also add, update or change in a prospectus supplement any of the information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or such prospectus supplement, include all material information relating to this offering. You should carefully read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information” before buying securities in this offering.

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Prospectus Summary

The following summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein and does not contain all of the information that may be important to purchasers of our securities. Prospective purchasers of our securities should review this entire prospectus carefully, including the risks of investing discussed under “Risk Factors” on page 7, the financial statements and related notes, and the information to which we refer you and the information incorporated into this prospectus by reference, for a complete understanding of our business and this offering. Unless otherwise specified or required by context, references in this prospectus to “Sequenom,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Sequenom, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Sequenom, Inc.

We are a molecular diagnostic testing and genetics analysis company committed to providing products, services, applications, and genetic analysis products that translate the results of genomic science into solutions for biomedical research, translational research, molecular medicine applications, and agricultural, livestock, and other areas of research. Our development and commercialization efforts in various diagnostic areas include noninvasive women’s health-related and prenatal diagnostics, ophthalmology, oncology, infectious diseases, and other medical conditions, disorders and diseases.

We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1994. Our principal executive offices are located at 3595 John Hopkins Court, San Diego, California, 92121, and our telephone number at that address is (858) 202-9000. Our website address is http://www.sequenom.com. The information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference into and does not form a part of this prospectus. SEQUENOM^®, MassARRAY^®, SensiGene^® and iPLEX^® are registered trademarks and SEQureDx™, MaterniT21™ and RetnaGene™ are trademarks of Sequenom, Inc.

We operate our business on the basis of two reportable segments, Molecular Diagnostics (including Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine) and Genetic Analysis.

Molecular Diagnostics and SEQureDx Technology

We are committed to researching, developing and pursuing the commercialization of various noninvasive molecular diagnostic tests for prenatal genetic disorders and diseases, women’s health-related disorders and diseases, ophthalmology, oncology, infectious diseases, and other medical conditions, disorders and diseases. Currently, we are primarily focused on developing and commercializing prenatal diagnostic tests using our foundational, patent-protected, noninvasive, circulating cell-free fetal, or ccff, nucleic acid-based assay technology, which we in-license from Isis Innovation Limited. This technology uses a maternal blood sample for a prenatal diagnosis or risk assessment in order to provide reliable information about the presence, amount or absence of fetal genetic material in early pregnancy. We have branded our technology for prenatal diagnostics under the trademark SEQureDx. Our efforts in molecular diagnostics are focused on developing noninvasive in vitro diagnostic tests using our proprietary MassARRAY system and/or nucleic acid sequencing platforms currently provided by Illumina, Inc. We plan to conduct the development, validation, and other activities necessary to file submissions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, seeking clearance or approval for commercialization of our in vitro diagnostic tests in the United States. To that end, in 2010 we submitted a pre-investigational device exemption submission and supplements to the FDA for an in vitro diagnostic test for fetal chromosome 21 aneuploidy, such as trisomy 21, and have met with the FDA, and will continue to do so, to discuss our proposed preclinical and clinical study designs.

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Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine

Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, LLC, or Sequenom CMM, is our wholly-owned subsidiary, and operates a laboratory located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a second laboratory located in San Diego, California, that are both accredited by the College of American Pathology and compliant with the certification requirements for high complexity testing under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988, as amended. Sequenom CMM develops and validates laboratory developed tests, or LDTs, for use in and solely by Sequenom CMM as a testing service to physicians. Sequenom CMM utilizes our patented SEQureDx ccff technology in developing some of its LDTs. Sequenom CMM has validated and currently offers to physicians four LDTs: MaterniT21 LDT to determine the relative amount of chromosome 21 in circulating cell-free DNA; SensiGene RHD Genotyping to determine a mother’s blood type and Rhesus D (RhD) factor; SensiGene Cystic Fibrosis Carrier Screening to help identify individuals who may have an increased risk of having certain CF genetic mutations; and RetnaGene AMD to predict genetic predisposition to develop late-stage (wet) age-related macular degeneration. Patient samples are collected by physicians and submitted to Sequenom CMM for testing and the results are reported back to the ordering physician.

We have invested substantially in Sequenom CMM’s information technology infrastructure to enhance the capabilities of the laboratories to track samples and provide electronic ordering and reporting and are putting in place sample collection and transportation logistics that can be scaled as demand for Sequenom CMM’s molecular diagnostic testing services increases. Sequenom CMM intends to provide reimbursement recommendations and enter into contracts with third-party payors to establish contractual pricing for its LDTs.

Sequenom CMM has developed and in October 2011 commercialized the MaterniT21 LDT for testing pregnant women who are at increased risk (by medical and clinical indicators) of carrying a fetus with trisomy 21. The MaterniT21 test is an LDT that analyzes circulating cell-free DNA extracted from a maternal blood sample. The test detects increased representation of chromosome 21 material, which is associated with trisomy 21. With technological advances and projected instrument and reagent costs of massively parellel shotgun sequencing declining rapidly, Sequenom CMM believes that performing the MaterniT21 LDT on a massively parellel shotgun sequencing platform is commercially attractive compared to other platforms. The MaterniT21 LDT is a noninvasive testing service that Sequenom CMM has demonstrated in a large scale clinical validation study to have high specificity and sensitivity compared to currently available serum biochemical screening tests, can be used during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, has broad ethnic coverage of the global population, and is a direct genetic test, not a surrogate marker.

In November 2010, Sequenom CMM presented the results from a pilot 96 patient study of a trisomy 21 test using massively parellel shotgun sequencing at a meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. Based on the results of this small study, Sequenom CMM started and completed a larger study that analyzed 480 patient samples collected from pregnant women at increased risk for fetal chromosome 21 aneuploidy. A manuscript describing the results from this larger laboratory verification study was published online on February 10, 2011, in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Based on the results from these two studies, Sequenom CMM undertook a large pivotal clinical validation study. The study was sponsored by Sequenom, but was designed, implemented, analyzed and reported by researchers at Women & Infants Hospital / Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University in Rhode Island, and was an independent multi-center international collaboration. In this study, Sequenom CMM tested patient samples that had been collected under an institutional review board-approved clinical study conducted under the auspices of the Women & Infants Hospital in Rhode Island. The total number of patient samples in the clinical validation study was approximately 2,000, of which approximately 200 were positive for trisomy 21 based on laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis performed on samples obtained from chorionic villus sampling, or genetic amniocentesis. The study design called for approximately 100 positive samples in each of the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.

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Sequenom CMM used essentially the same assay process in the clinical validation study that was used in the 480 sample study with the exception of employing the higher throughput Illumina HiSeq 2000, a second generation sequencer, introduced in 2010. Sequenom CMM scientists previously completed equivalency studies on the HiSeq 2000 sequencer in preparation for this large clinical validation study. This validation study was published online on October 17, 2011 by our academic collaborators in the journal Genetics in Medicine.

FDA Oversight of LDTs

Historically, the FDA has exercised enforcement discretion and exempted from regulation LDTs created and used by the same laboratory. During a public meeting held in July 2010, the FDA explained that it was reconsidering its policy of enforcement discretion over LDTs. Citing a variety of safety concerns related to current LDTs, the FDA noted that the tests have become increasingly complex and utilized for significant medical decisions, sometimes in place of similar tests that have been reviewed and cleared or approved by the FDA. However, no formal guidance has yet been issued discussing the nature of the changes the FDA may make with respect to the regulation of LDTs, nor the scope of potential regulation. We continue to monitor potential changes as the FDA’s LDT policy evolves to ensure Sequenom CMM’s activities are consistent with the FDA’s most current policy.

As part of the FDA’s evolving position on the regulation of LDTs, the FDA issued letters to a number of companies in mid-2010 that primarily related to direct-to-consumer genetic testing. In these letters, the FDA expressed concern about consumers making medical decisions in reliance on genetic tests that have not undergone the FDA’s premarket review. Although Sequenom CMM does not sell its testing services directly to consumers, we also received a letter from the FDA in July 2010. We responded to the FDA by letter in August 2010 and met with the FDA in September 2010. We reiterated at that meeting that Sequenom CMM’s LDTs are physician-ordered and neither we nor Sequenom CMM are involved in direct-to-consumer commercialization. The FDA indicated at that time it had no further questions on the direct-to-consumer issue.

Genetic Analysis

Our proprietary MassARRAY system is comprised of hardware, software applications, and consumable chips and reagents. It is a high performance (in speed, accuracy, and cost efficiency) nucleic acid analysis research use only platform that quantitatively and precisely measures genetic target material and variations. Our system is widely accepted as a leading high-performance DNA analysis system for genotyping, somatic mutation analysis and fine mapping markets and continues to gain traction for applications, such as agricultural genomics and clinical research. Our research customers include premier clinical research laboratories, bioagriculture, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and various government agencies worldwide. To provide customer support for our expanding user base, and in an effort to maximize market penetration, we have established direct sales and support employees serving North America, Europe and Asia, in addition to utilizing sales and distribution partners in several major countries throughout the world.

Our MassARRAY system provides reliable results for a wide range of DNA/RNA analysis applications, including single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP, genotyping, detection of mutations, analysis of copy number variants, and other structural genome variations. In addition, the system provides quantitative gene expression analysis, quantitative DNA methylation analysis, comparative sequence analysis of haploid organisms, SNP discovery, and oligonucleotide quality control. These applications are provided through proprietary research use application software that operates on the MassARRAY system and through the purchase of consumable chips and reagent sets. While the MassARRAY system is versatile across many applications, it is a robust and cost-effective genotyping and somatic mutation analysis solution enabled through our research use only iPLEX multiplexing assay, which permits multiplexed SNP and somatic mutation analysis. In April 2010 we launched

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our next-generation research use only mass spectrometry system, the MassARRAY Analyzer 4. This high performance nucleic acid analysis system has been designed to meet customer demand for a bench top instrument with greater flexibility across multiple applications, improved reliability and faster performance and is designed to empower the basic and translational research community to advance findings from discovery genetic and biomarker studies toward biomarker validation and potential clinical utility in diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of diseases.

Our research and development efforts in genetic analysis are committed to producing new and improved components and applications for the MassARRAY system that deliver greater system versatility and higher data quality at a competitive price per data point. These research and development activities and new applications also serve to facilitate and support our diagnostics initiatives.

The Securities We May Offer

We may offer shares of our common stock or preferred stock, various series of debt securities or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in combination, with a total value of up to $150,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined at the time of any offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

• designation or classification;

• aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price;

• maturity;

• original issue discount;

• rates and times of payment of interest or dividends;

• redemption, conversion, exercise, exchange or sinking fund terms;

• ranking;

• restrictive covenants;

• voting or other rights;

• conversion or exchange prices or rates and, if applicable, any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the conversion or exchange prices or rates and in the securities or other property receivable upon conversion or exchange; and

• a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations.

The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

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We may sell the securities directly to investors or to or through agents, underwriters or dealers. We and our agents, underwriters and dealers reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities to or through agents, underwriters or dealers, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:

• the names of those agents, underwriters or dealers;

• applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them;

• details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and

• the net proceeds to us.

Common Stock. We may issue shares of our common stock from time to time. Common stockholders are entitled to one vote per share for the election of directors and on all other matters that require common stockholder approval. Holders of our common stock are entitled to share in an equal amount per share in any dividends declared by our board of directors on the common stock and paid out of legally available assets. Subject to any preferential rights of any outstanding preferred stock, in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in the assets remaining after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preferences of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock does not carry any preemptive rights enabling a holder to subscribe for, or receive shares of, any class of our common stock or any other securities convertible into shares of any class of our common stock, or any redemption rights.

Preferred Stock. We may issue shares of our preferred stock from time to time, in one or more series. Our board of directors will determine the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of the preferred stock, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, preemptive rights, terms of redemption or repurchase, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of any series. Convertible preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock or exchangeable for other securities. Conversion may be mandatory or at your option and would be at prescribed conversion rates.

If we sell any series of preferred stock under this prospectus, we will fix the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of such series of preferred stock, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, in the certificate of designation relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock that we are offering before the issuance of the related series of preferred stock. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the series of preferred stock being offered, as well as the complete certificate of designation that contains the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock.

Debt Securities. We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. The senior debt securities will rank equally with any other unsecured and unsubordinated debt. The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner described in the instrument governing the debt, to all of our senior indebtedness. Convertible debt securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or other securities. Conversion may be mandatory or at your option and would be at prescribed conversion rates.

Any debt securities issued under this prospectus will be issued under one or more documents called indentures, which are contracts between us and a national banking association or other eligible party, as trustee. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the debt securities. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided

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to you) related to the series of debt securities being offered, as well as the complete indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. Forms of indentures have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

Warrants. We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the series of warrants being offered, as well as any warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, any forms of warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates containing the terms of the warrants being offered, and any supplemental warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates containing the terms of the warrants being offered.

Any warrants issued under this prospectus may be evidenced by warrant certificates. Warrants also may be issued under an applicable warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of warrants being offered.

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Risk Factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before you make a decision to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2010, as filed with the SEC on March 9, 2011, as amended by a Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 25, 2011, and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2011, June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2011, as filed with the SEC on May 5, 2011, August 4, 2011 and November 3, 2011, respectively, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as well as any amendment or update thereto reflected in our subsequent filings with the SEC. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock, or, if applicable, other securities, to decline and you may lose part or all of your investment. The risks described are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.

Forward-Looking Statements

This prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference herein, contains, and any applicable prospectus supplement including the documents we incorporate by reference therein may contain, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statements will include words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and the negative of these words or similar words. Similarly, statements that describe our future plans, strategies, intentions, expectations, objectives, goals or prospects are also forward-looking statements. Discussions containing these forward-looking statements may be found, among other places, in the “Business,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections incorporated by reference from our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended subsequent to our filing of such annual report on Form 10-K with the SEC, as well as any amendments thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are or will be, as applicable, based largely on our expectations, beliefs and projections about future events and future trends affecting our business, and so are or will be, as applicable, subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, among others, those referenced in “Risk Factors” above and in any applicable prospectus supplement and any documents incorporated by reference herein or therein.

In addition, past financial or operating performance is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future performance and you should not use our historical performance to anticipate results or future period trends. We can give no assurances that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them do, what impact they will have on our results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly revise our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date of this prospectus or the prospectus supplement or the date of documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus that include forward-looking statements.

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Financial Ratios

The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges and ratio of combined fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings for the periods indicated:

	Year Ended December 31,										Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
	2006		2007		2008		2009		2010
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges		—		—		—		—		—		—
Ratio of combined fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A

For the purpose of this table, “earnings” consist of loss from continuing operations before income taxes, extraordinary items, cumulative effect of accounting changes, equity in net losses of affiliates and fixed charges, and “fixed charges” consist of interest expense and the portion of operating lease expense that we estimate represents interest. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and the nine months ended September 30, 2011, we had no earnings and are therefore unable to calculate the ratio of combined fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings. Our earnings for those periods were insufficient to cover fixed charges by $18.2 million, $22.0 million, $43.9 million, $70.9 million, $120.9 million and $51.9 million, respectively.

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Use of Proceeds

We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. Unless otherwise indicated in any prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include research and development, capital expenditures, working capital, and general administrative expenses. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies that are complementary to our own, although we have no current plans, commitments or agreements with respect to any acquisitions as of the date of this prospectus. We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement our intended use for the net proceeds received from the sale of any securities sold pursuant to the prospectus supplement. Pending these uses, we intend to invest the net proceeds in U.S. Government securities and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities that have ratings of AAA, U.S. Treasury-only money market funds, certificates of deposit or other securities guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

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Description of Capital Stock

As of the date of this prospectus, our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue 185,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of November 22, 2011, 99,340,174 shares of common stock were outstanding. To date, our board of directors has designated 1,850,000 of the authorized shares of preferred stock as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, or Series A Preferred Stock, which series is described in greater detail below under “Share Purchase Rights Agreement.” As of November 22, 2011, no shares of Series A Preferred Stock were outstanding.

The following summary describes the material terms of our capital stock and stockholder rights plan. The description of capital stock and stockholder rights plan is qualified by reference to our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, the certificate of designation of our Series A Preferred Stock, and our stockholder rights plan, which are incorporated by reference as exhibits into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Common Stock

Voting. Common stockholders are entitled to one vote per share for the election of directors and on all other matters that require stockholder approval. Under our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, directors are elected by a plurality vote, and our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election, if they should so choose. In all other matters, an action by our common stockholders requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote.

Dividends and Other Distributions. Subject to the rights of any outstanding shares of preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to share in an equal amount per share in any dividends declared by our board of directors on the common stock and paid out of legally available assets. Any dividends on our common stock will be non-cumulative.

Distribution on Liquidation or Dissolution. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any outstanding shares of our preferred stock.

Other Rights. Our common stock does not carry any preemptive rights enabling a holder to subscribe for, or receive shares of, any class of our common stock or any other securities convertible into shares of any class of our common stock, or any redemption rights.

Preferred Stock

Under our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by stockholders, to designate up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix or alter, from time to time, the designations, powers and rights of each series of preferred stock and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of any series of preferred stock, including dividend rights, dividend rate, conversion rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption (including sinking fund provisions), redemption price or prices, and the liquidation preference of any wholly unissued series of preferred stock, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the common stock, and to establish the number of shares constituting any such series.

Our board of directors will fix the rights, preferences, privileges, qualifications and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series that we sell under this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplements in the

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certificate of designation relating to each such series. We will incorporate by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or as an exhibit to one or more current reports on Form 8-K, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering before the issuance of the related series of preferred stock. This description will include:

• the title and stated value;

• the number of shares we are offering;

• the liquidation preference per share;

• the purchase price;

• the dividend rate, period and payment date and method of calculation for dividends;

• whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate;

• the procedures for any auction and remarketing;

• the provisions for a sinking fund;

• the provisions for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, and any restrictions on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights;

• any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market;

• whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, and, if applicable, the conversion price, or how it will be calculated, and the conversion period;

• whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable for debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and the exchange period;

• voting rights of the preferred stock;

• preemptive rights;

• restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment;

• whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares;

• a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;

• the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs;

• any limitations on the issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs; and

• any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the preferred stock.

If we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable.

The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and reduce the likelihood that common stockholders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation. The issuance could have the effect of decreasing the market price of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock also could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

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Share Purchase Rights Agreement

Each outstanding share of our common stock has attached to it one preferred share purchase right, which we refer to as a Right. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from us one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Preferred Stock at a price of $120.00, which we refer to as the Purchase Price, subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement dated as of March 3, 2009, between us and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC as Rights Agent, which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Until the earlier to occur of (i) the date of a public announcement that a person, entity or group of affiliated or associated persons have acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock, which we refer to as an Acquiring Person, or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as may be determined by action of our board of directors prior to such time as any person or entity becomes an Acquiring Person) following the commencement of, or announcement of an intention to commence, a tender offer or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in any person or entity becoming an Acquiring Person (the earlier of such dates being called the Distribution Date), the Rights will be evidenced by the stock certificates representing our common stock then outstanding.

Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be transferable with and only with our common stock, and the surrender or transfer of any common stock certificates will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the common stock represented by such certificate.

The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the Rights, which we refer to as the Right Certificates, will be mailed to holders of record of our common stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the Rights.

The Rights will expire as of the close of business on March 20, 2019, which we refer to as the Final Expiration Date, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by us, in each case, as described below.

The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Series A Preferred Shares or other securities or other property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the Series A Preferred Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Series A Preferred Shares of certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Series A Preferred Shares at a price, or securities convertible into Series A Preferred Shares with a conversion price, less than the then current market price of the Series A Preferred Shares or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Series A Preferred Shares of evidences of indebtedness or assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends paid out of earnings or retained earnings or dividends payable in Series A Preferred Shares) or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above). With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in such Purchase Price. The exercise of Rights for Series A Preferred Shares is at all times subject to the availability of a sufficient number of authorized but unissued Series A Preferred Shares.

The number of outstanding Rights and the number of one one-hundredths of a Series A Preferred Share issuable upon exercise of each Right are also subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split of our common stock or a stock dividend on our common stock payable in our common stock or subdivisions, consolidation or combinations of our common stock occurring, in any case, prior to the Distribution Date. No fractional Series A Preferred Shares will be issued (other than fractions which are integral multiples of the number of one one-hundredths of a Series A Preferred Share issuable upon the exercise of one Right, which may, at our election, be evidenced by depositary receipts), and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the market price of the Series A Preferred Shares on the last trading day prior to the date of exercise.

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Series A Preferred Shares purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will not be redeemable. Each Series A Preferred Share will be entitled to a minimum preferential quarterly dividend payment of $1.00 but will be entitled to an aggregate dividend of 100 times the dividend declared per share of our common stock. In the event of liquidation, the holders of our Series A Preferred Shares would be entitled to a minimum preferential liquidation payment of $100 per share, but would be entitled to receive an aggregate payment equal to 100 times the payment made per share of our common stock. Each Series A Preferred Share will have 100 votes, voting together with our common stock. In the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction in which our common stock is exchanged, each Series A Preferred Share will be entitled to receive 100 times the amount of consideration received per share of our common stock. These rights are protected by customary anti-dilution provisions. Because of the nature of the Series A Preferred Shares’ dividend and liquidation rights, the value of one one-hundredth of a Series A Preferred Share should approximate the value of one share of our common stock. The Series A Preferred Shares would rank junior to any other series of our preferred stock.

In the event that any person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an Acquiring Person, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right, other than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person and its associates and affiliates (which will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise that number of shares of our common stock having a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right (or, if such number of shares is not and cannot be authorized, we may issue Series A Preferred Shares, cash, debt, stock or a combination thereof in exchange for the Rights). This right will terminate 60 days after the date on which the Rights become nonredeemable (as described below), unless there is an injunction or similar obstacle to exercise of the Rights, in which event this right will terminate 60 days after the date on which the Rights again become exercisable.

Generally, an “Acquiring Person” shall not be deemed to include (i) us, (ii) any subsidiary of us, (iii) any of our employee benefit or compensation plans, or (iv) any entity holding shares of our common stock for or pursuant to the terms of any such employee benefit or compensation plans. Except under limited circumstances, no person or entity shall become an Acquiring Person as the result of the acquisition of our common stock by us which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the proportionate number of shares beneficially owned by such person or entity to 15% or more of our common stock then outstanding, and no person shall become an Acquiring Person due to the acquisition of our common stock directly from us.

In the event that we are acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction or 50% or more of our consolidated assets or earning power are sold to an Acquiring Person, its associates or affiliates or certain other persons in which such persons have an interest, proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current exercise price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company which at the time of such transaction will have a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right.

At any time after an Acquiring Person becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the acquisition by such Acquiring Person of 50% or more of our outstanding common stock, our board of directors may exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which have become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of our common stock, or one one-hundredth of a Series A Preferred Share, per Right (or, at our election, we may issue cash, debt, stock or a combination thereof in exchange for the Rights), subject to adjustment.

At any time prior to the earliest of (i) the day of the first public announcement that a person has become an Acquiring Person or (ii) the Final Expiration Date, our board of directors may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.001 per Right, which we refer to as the Redemption Price. Following the expiration of the above periods, the Rights become nonredeemable. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.

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The terms of the Rights may be amended by our board of directors without the consent of the holders of the Rights, except that from and after such time as the rights are distributed no such amendment may adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Rights (excluding the interest of any Acquiring Person).

Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of Sequenom, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

Delaware Law. We are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) before the date that the person became an “interested stockholder,” our board of directors approved either the “business combination” or the transaction which makes the person an “interested stockholder,” (ii) the “interested stockholder” owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer, or (iii) after the date that the person became an “interested stockholder,” the business combination is approved by our board of directors and the vote of at least 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the “interested stockholder.” Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who either owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock or, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three prior years, did own, 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. The statute could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control.

Bylaw and Certificate of Incorporation Provisions. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying or preventing changes in our control or our managements, including, but not limited to the following:

• Our board of directors can issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with any rights or preferences, including the right to approve or not approve an acquisition or change in our control.

• Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that all stockholder actions must be effected at a duly called meeting of holders and not by written consent.

• Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the Chairman of our board of directors, our Chief Executive Officer, our President, or by our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors.

• Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to present proposals before a meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at a meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice in writing and also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions may delay or preclude stockholders from bringing matters before a meeting of our stockholders or from making nominations for directors at a meeting of stockholders, which could delay or deter takeover attempts or changes in our management.

• Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that, subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of preferred stock, all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law, be filled by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of directors then in office. Our bylaws provide that the authorized number of directors must be set within a range of five to nine pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the directors then in office.

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• Our certificate of incorporation does not include a provision for cumulative voting for directors. Under cumulative voting, a minority stockholder holding a sufficient percentage of a class of shares could be able to ensure the election of one or more directors.

• Our bylaws provide that amendments to certain of its provisions relating to stockholder actions, the calling of special meetings of our stockholders and the process for stockholder nomination of candidates for election as directors require the approval of the holders of at least 66-2/3% of our then outstanding common stock and 66-2/3% of the members of our board.

These and other provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. However, these provisions could delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control of us, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares over then current prices. Such provisions could also limit the ability of stockholders to remove current management or approve transactions that stockholders may deem to be in their best interests and, therefore, could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

Listing on The NASDAQ Global Market

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SQNM.”

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Description of Debt Securities

We may issue debt securities, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the indentures, we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.

If we issue debt securities under this prospectus, we will issue the senior debt securities under the senior indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the senior indenture, and we will issue the subordinated debt securities under the subordinated indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the subordinated indenture. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. We use the term “debenture trustee” to refer to either the trustee under the senior indenture or the trustee under the subordinated indenture, as applicable. We have filed forms of indentures to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

The following summaries of material provisions of the senior debt securities, the subordinated debt securities and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize to be provided to you in connection with the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are identical.

General

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including, to the extent applicable:

• the title;

• the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;

• any limit on the amount that may be issued;

• whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, the terms and who the depositary will be;

• the maturity date;

• whether and under what circumstances we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a United States person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;

• the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

• whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;

• the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;

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• the place where payments will be payable;

• restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment;

• our right to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

• the date after which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;

• the date on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;

• whether the indenture will restrict our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries to:

• incur additional indebtedness;

• issue additional securities;

• create liens;

• pay dividends and make distributions in respect of our capital stock and the capital stock of our subsidiaries;

• redeem capital stock;

• place restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets;

• make investments or other restricted payments;

• sell or otherwise dispose of assets;

• enter into sale-leaseback transactions;

• engage in transactions with stockholders and affiliates;

• issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or

• effect a consolidation or merger;

• whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;

• a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;

• information describing any book-entry features;

• provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund;

• the applicability of the provisions in the indenture on discharge;

• whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code;

• the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

• the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars; and

• any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations.

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Conversion or Exchange Rights

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or our other securities, if applicable. We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock or our other securities that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indentures will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate. If the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for our other securities or securities of other entities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.

Events of Default Under the Indenture

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

• if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended or deferred;

• if we fail to pay the principal, premium or sinking fund payment, if any, when due and payable and the time for payment has not been extended or delayed;

• if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the debenture trustee or holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and

• if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the debenture trustee or the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the debenture trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the principal amount of and accrued interest, if any, of each series of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the debenture trustee or any holder.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the debenture trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such

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holders have offered the debenture trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the debenture trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the debenture trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

• the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and

• subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the debenture trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies only if:

• the holder has given written notice to the debenture trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

• the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the debenture trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee; and

• the debenture trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities.

We will periodically file statements with the debenture trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

We and the debenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters:

• to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;

• to comply with the provisions described above under “Description of Debt Securities—Consolidation, Merger or Sale”;

• to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939;

• to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the indenture;

• to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “Description of Debt Securities—General,” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;

• to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;

• to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;

• to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default; or

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• to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.

In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the debenture trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the debenture trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

• extending the fixed maturity of the series of debt securities;

• reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption of any debt securities; or

• reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.

Discharge

Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we cannot be discharged from certain specified obligations, including obligations to:

• register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;

• replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

• maintain paying agencies;

• hold monies for payment in trust;

• recover excess money held by the debenture trustee;

• compensate and indemnify the debenture trustee; and

• appoint any successor trustee.

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the debenture trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all of the principal of, any premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue each series of debt securities only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, or another depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series. See “Legal Ownership of Securities” for a further description of the terms relating to any book-entry securities.

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or

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for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will impose no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

• issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

• register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

Information Concerning the Debenture Trustee

The debenture trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the debenture trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the debenture trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the debenture trustee in the City of New York as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All money we pay to a paying agent or the debenture trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

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Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is applicable.

Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities

The subordinated debt securities will be unsecured and will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of subordinated debt securities that we may issue, nor does it limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

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Description of Warrants

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

We have filed forms of the warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates containing the terms of the warrants being offered as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize to be provided to you in connection with the warrants, and the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

General

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants being offered, including, to the extent applicable:

• the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

• the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;

• the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

• the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

• in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

• in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

• the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreements and the warrants;

• the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

• any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

• the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;

• the manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be modified;

• a discussion of material United States federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

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• the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and

• any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including:

• in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the right to receive payments of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture; or

• in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

Exercise of Warrants

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant or warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent, if applicable, in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of any warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to any warrant agent.

Upon receipt of the required payment and any warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of any warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by a warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

Governing Law

Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the warrants and warrant agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

Any warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one series of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of any related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

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Legal Ownership of Securities

We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee, depositary or warrant agent maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders” of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.

Book-Entry Holders

We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Securities issued in global form will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for securities issued in global form, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.

As a result, investors in a book-entry security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not holders, of the securities.

Street Name Holders

We may terminate a global security or issue securities in non-global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in “street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

For securities held in street name, we will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not holders, of those securities.

Legal Holders

Our obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee and of any third parties employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form.

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For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with depositary participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Similarly, we may want to obtain the approval of the holders to amend an indenture, to relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligation to comply with a particular provision of the indenture or for other purposes. In such an event, we would seek approval only from the holders, and not the indirect holders, of the securities. Whether and how the holders contact the indirect holders is up to the holders.

Special Considerations For Indirect Holders

If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

• how it handles securities payments and notices;

• whether it imposes fees or charges;

• how it would handle a request for the holders’ consent, if ever required;

• whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own name so you can be a holder, if that is permitted in the future;

• how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests; and

• if the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary’s rules and procedures will affect these matters.

Global Securities

A global security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.

Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, DTC will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.

A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.

If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued in global form only, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.

Special Considerations For Global Securities

The rights of an indirect holder relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

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If securities are issued only in the form of a global security, an investor should be aware of the following:

• an investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name, and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the securities, except in the special situations we describe below;

• an investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank, broker or other financial institution for payments on the securities and protection of his or her legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe above;

• an investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form;

• an investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in a global security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be effective;

• the depositary’s policies, which may change from time to time, will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor’s interest in a global security;

• we and any applicable trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in a global security, nor do we or any applicable trustee supervise the depositary in any way;

• the depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who purchase and sell interests in a global security within its book-entry system use immediately available funds, and your bank, broker or other financial institution may require you to do so as well; and

• financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system, and through which an investor holds its interest in a global security, may also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters relating to the securities.

There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries.

Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated

In a few special situations described below, the global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks, brokers or other financial institutions to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own name, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.

Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the global security will terminate when the following special situations occur:

• if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90 days;

• if we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global security; or

• if an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by that global security and has not been cured or waived.

The prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the applicable prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and not we or any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

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Plan of Distribution

We may sell our securities covered by this prospectus in any of three ways (or in any combination):

• to or through underwriters or dealers;

• directly to one or more purchasers; or

• through agents.

We may distribute the securities:

• from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

• at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

• at prices related to the prevailing market prices; or

• at negotiated prices.

Each time we offer and sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms of the offering, including:

• the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents;

• the amounts of securities underwritten or purchased by each of them;

• the purchase price of securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;

• any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us;

• any underwriting discounts or commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation;

• the public offering price of the securities;

• any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

• any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed.

Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. We may determine the price or other terms of the securities offered under this prospectus by use of an electronic auction. We will describe how any auction will determine the price or any other terms, how potential investors may participate in the auction and the nature of the obligations of the underwriter, dealer or agent in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Underwriters or dealers may offer and sell the offered securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. If underwriters or dealers are used in the sale of any securities, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters or dealers for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions described above. The securities may be either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters or dealers. Generally, the underwriters’ or dealers’ obligations to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions precedent. The underwriters or dealers will be obligated to purchase all of the securities if they purchase any of the securities, unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe the nature of any such relationship in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter.

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We may sell the securities through agents from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities and any commissions we pay to them. Generally, any agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment. We may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain purchasers to purchase the securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions we pay for solicitation of these contracts.

Agents, dealers and underwriters may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents, dealers or underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof. Agents, dealers and underwriters may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

All securities we may offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. This short sales position may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales. Covered short sales are short sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase additional securities in this offering described above. The underwriters may close out any covered short position either by exercising their over-allotment option or by purchasing securities in the open market. To determine how they will close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of securities available for purchase in the open market, as compared to the price at which they may purchase securities through the over-allotment option. Naked short sales are short sales in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing securities in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that, in the open market after pricing, there may be downward pressure on the price of the securities that could adversely affect investors who purchase securities in this offering. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security for the purpose of fixing the price of the security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions.

Similar to other purchase transactions, an underwriter’s purchase to cover the syndicate short sales or to stabilize the market price of our securities may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our securities or preventing or mitigating a decline in the market price of our securities. As a result, the price of our securities may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the price of the securities if it discourages resales of the securities.

Neither we nor the underwriters makes any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the securities. If such transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.

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Legal Matters

The validity of the securities being offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Cooley LLP, San Diego, California.

Experts

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements and schedule included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements and schedule are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

Where You Can Find More Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. Please call the SEC at 1.800.SEC.0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

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Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents instead of having to repeat the information in this prospectus. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we will make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus until the termination of the offering of the shares covered by this prospectus (other than information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K):

• our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on March 9, 2011, as amended by a Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 25, 2011 and a Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on May 17, 2011;

• our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on May 5, 2011, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, filed with the SEC on August 4, 2011, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, filed with the SEC on November 3, 2011;

• our Current Reports on Form 8-K (other than information furnished rather than filed) filed with the SEC on January 10, 2011, January 14, 2011, June 2, 2011, June 16, 2011, July 11, 2011, September 2, 2011 and October 17, 2011;

• our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 25, 2011;

• the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on January 25, 2000 and the registration statement on Form 8-A/A, dated March 20, 2009, including any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description; and

• all filings we make with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act after the date of the initial registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement.

You can request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

Sequenom, Inc.

Attn: Investor Relations

3595 John Hopkins Court

San Diego, California 92121

(858) 202-9000

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. That registration statement and the exhibits filed along with the registration statement contain more information about us and the securities in this offering. Because information about documents referred to in this prospectus is not always complete, you should read the full documents which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement. You may read and copy the full registration statement and its exhibits at the SEC’s public reference rooms or its website.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following sets forth the estimated costs and expenses, all of which shall be borne by the registrant, in connection with the offering of the securities pursuant to this Registration Statement:

Registration Fee	$	17,190
Legal Fees and Expenses	$	50,000	*
Accounting Fees	$	25,000	*
Printer Fees	$	50,000	*
Total	$	142,190	*

* Estimated.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Under Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, we have broad powers to indemnify our directors and officers against liabilities they may incur in such capacities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Section 145 of the DGCL generally provides that a Delaware corporation has the power to indemnify its present and former directors, officers, employees and agents against expenses incurred by them in connection with any suit to which they are or are threatened to be made, a party by reason of their serving in such positions so long as they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action, they had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that (i) eliminate the personal liability of our directors for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, (ii) require us to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL or other applicable law and (iii) provide us with the power, in our discretion, to indemnify our other officers, employees and other agents as set forth in the DGCL or other applicable law. We believe that these provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers. These provisions do not eliminate our directors’ or officers’ duty of care, and, in appropriate circumstances, equitable remedies such as injunctive or other forms of non-monetary relief will remain available under the DGCL. In addition, each director will continue to be subject to liability pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, for breach of such director’s duty of loyalty to us, for acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct, for knowing violations of law, for acts or omissions that such director believes to be contrary to our best interests or the best interests of our stockholders, for any transaction from which such director derived an improper personal benefit, for acts or omissions involving a reckless disregard for such director’s duty to us or to our stockholders when such director was aware or should have been aware of a risk of serious injury to us or to our stockholders, for acts or omission that constitute an unexcused pattern of inattention that amounts to an abdication of such director’s duty to us or to our stockholders, for improper transactions between such director and us and for improper loans to directors and officers. These provisions also do not affect a director’s responsibilities under any other law, such as the federal securities law or state or federal environmental laws.

As permitted by Delaware law, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our current directors and officers pursuant to the foregoing provisions. We have an insurance policy covering our officers and directors with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act or otherwise.

II-1

Item 16. Exhibits.

Exhibit Number	Description of Document
1.1*	Form of Underwriting Agreement.
4.1	Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 6, 2006).
4.2	Restated Bylaws, as amended, of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 15, 2010).
4.3	Specimen Common Stock Certificate of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 6, 2006).
4.4	Certificate of Designation of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2009).
4.5	Rights Agreement dated as of March 3, 2009, between the registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2009).
4.6	Form of Right Certificate of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2009).
4.7	Form of Senior Debt Indenture.
4.8	Form of Subordinated Debt Indenture.
4.9*	Form of Senior Note.
4.10*	Form of Subordinated Note.
4.11	Form of Common Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
4.12	Form of Preferred Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
4.13	Form of Debt Securities Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
5.1	Opinion of Cooley LLP.
12.1	Statement Regarding Computation of Ratios.
23.1	Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2	Consent of Cooley LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1	Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereto).
25.1*	Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under the Senior Debt Indenture.
25.2*	Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under the Subordinated Debt Indenture.

* To be filed by amendment or by a report filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 17. Undertakings.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

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(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such

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purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(6) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(7) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on November 23, 2011.

SEQUENOM, INC.
By:	/s/    HARRY F. HIXSON, JR.
	Harry F. Hixson, Jr. Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Harry F. Hixson, Jr. and Paul V. Maier and each of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place, and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments, exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith) to this registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith (including any registration statement relating to this registration statement and filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended), with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or either of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has executed this Power of Attorney as of the date indicated opposite his name. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

	Signatures	Title	Date
By:	/s/    HARRY F. HIXSON, JR.         Harry F. Hixson, Jr.	Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    PAUL V. MAIER         Paul V. Maier	Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    ERNST-GÜNTER AFTING         Ernst-Günter Afting	Director	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    KENNETH F. BUECHLER         Kenneth F. Buechler	Director	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    JOHN A. FAZIO         John A. Fazio	Director	November 23, 2011

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	Signatures	Title	Date
By:	/s/    RICHARD A. LERNER         Richard A. Lerner	Director	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    RONALD M. LINDSAY         Ronald M. Lindsay	Executive Vice President and Director	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    DAVID PENDARVIS         David Pendarvis	Director	November 23, 2011
By:	/s/    CHARLES SLACIK         Charles Slacik	Director	November 23, 2011

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number	Description of Document
1.1*	Form of Underwriting Agreement.
4.1	Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 6, 2006).
4.2	Restated Bylaws, as amended, of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 15, 2010).
4.3	Specimen Common Stock Certificate of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 6, 2006).
4.4	Certificate of Designation of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2009).
4.5	Rights Agreement dated as of March 3, 2009, between the registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2009).
4.6	Form of Right Certificate of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2009).
4.7	Form of Senior Debt Indenture.
4.8	Form of Subordinated Debt Indenture.
4.9*	Form of Senior Note.
4.10*	Form of Subordinated Note.
4.11	Form of Common Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
4.12	Form of Preferred Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
4.13	Form of Debt Securities Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
5.1	Opinion of Cooley LLP.
12.1	Statement Regarding Computation of Ratios.
23.1	Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2	Consent of Cooley LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1	Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereto).
25.1*	Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under the Senior Debt Indenture.
25.2*	Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under the Subordinated Debt Indenture.

* To be filed by amendment or by a report filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated herein by reference.