Agilent and National Heart Centre Join Forces to Tackle Heart Failure

Agilent Technologies Inc. has entered a significant partnership with the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) to enhance research on metabolic heart failure. The five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed on November 13, 2025, aims to leverage innovative approaches to address one of the most challenging aspects of cardiovascular medicine, which continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Heart failure encompasses various forms, with metabolic conditions such as diabetic heart failure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) presenting particular treatment challenges. This collaboration seeks to investigate the metabolic drivers behind these conditions, focusing on human cardiac organoids, which are lab-grown tissues derived from human cells.

Advancing Research through Innovative Technology

Under the agreement, Agilent and NHCS will combine their strengths to utilize cutting-edge analytical technologies, including Agilent’s Seahorse XF Flex Analyzer. This advanced equipment allows for real-time metabolic analysis of three-dimensional tissues and organoid workflows, enabling researchers to delve deeper into the mechanisms that lead to heart failure.

Prof. Derek Hausenloy, the director of the National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS) at NHCS, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, “Our collaboration with Agilent allows us to advance the study of heart disease using patient-specific beating heart cells. By combining NHCS’s expertise with Agilent’s advanced technology, we can detect the earliest changes in how heart cells use energy before visible damage occurs.” This proactive approach aims to accelerate the discovery of new therapies, offering hope to patients with limited treatment options.

NHCS has a strong reputation for its work in modeling monogenic cardiac diseases through patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These efforts have already identified novel therapeutic targets that are currently under clinical evaluation. The integration of Agilent’s technology with NHCS’s Preclinical Platform for Development of Therapeutics for Heart Failure (PREVENT-HF) is expected to yield valuable insights into disease progression and the safety and efficacy of new treatments.

Commitment to Cardiovascular Health

Bharat Bhardwaj, vice president of APAC sales at Agilent, highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating, “Together with NHCS, we are bridging science and technology to reimagine how metabolic heart failure is understood and treated through translational research.” He noted that this collaboration reaffirms their shared commitment to addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular care and positions them at the forefront of research in this critical area.

Agilent has made notable contributions to health research in Singapore over the past decade. In 2019, the company partnered with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and National University Hospital (NUH) to establish a research hub with an investment of $38 million. This initiative aimed to enhance clinical diagnostics and biochemistry testing. Additionally, Agilent collaborated with NUS to create the NUS-Agilent Center of Excellence in Cell Metabolism, supporting the Singapore Ministry of Health’s Project RESET and the CVMD-TRP. This center focuses on accelerating the discovery of new insights into heart disease mechanisms.

With this new collaboration, Agilent and NHCS are poised to make meaningful advancements in the understanding and treatment of metabolic heart failure, ultimately improving outcomes for patients facing this complex condition.

For more information about Agilent Technologies, visit their website at www.agilent.com. For details on the National Heart Centre Singapore, go to www.nhcs.com.sg.