Agilent Partners with NHCS to Transform Heart Failure Research

Agilent Technologies Inc. has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) to enhance research into metabolic heart failure. This collaboration aims to explore the complex mechanisms behind heart failure, a condition that remains a primary cause of death and disability worldwide.

Heart failure, particularly forms related to metabolic conditions such as diabetic heart failure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), presents significant challenges due to the limited treatment options available. The partnership between Agilent and NHCS seeks to leverage advanced technologies and human cardiac organoids—three-dimensional structures derived from human heart tissues—to investigate the metabolic drivers of this critical health issue.

Under this agreement, the teams will utilize Agilent’s Seahorse XF Flex Analyzer, which allows for real-time metabolic analysis in three-dimensional tissues. This technology will enable researchers to detect early changes in cardiac energy utilization, a critical factor in the onset of heart failure. “Our collaboration with Agilent allows us to advance the study of heart disease using patient-specific beating heart cells,” said Prof. Derek Hausenloy, director of the National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS) at NHCS. “This helps us identify the earliest signs of energy deficiency before visible damage occurs, accelerating the discovery and testing of new therapies.”

NHCS has positioned itself as a leader in modeling monogenic cardiac diseases through the use of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This innovative approach has already led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets currently undergoing clinical evaluation. By combining Agilent’s state-of-the-art technology with NHCS’s Preclinical Platform for Development of Therapeutics for Heart Failure (PREVENT-HF), the collaboration aims to generate hypotheses for clinical validation. This effort will enhance understanding of disease progression and facilitate the development and assessment of new treatments in clinically relevant models.

Bharat Bhardwaj, vice president of APAC sales at Agilent, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “Together with NHCS, we are bridging science and technology to reimagine how metabolic heart failure is understood and treated through translational research. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to addressing the unmet needs in cardiovascular care while strengthening our leadership in the biomedical ecosystem.”

Agilent has a history of contributing to health advancements in Singapore, including the establishment of a research hub in 2019 alongside the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National University Hospital (NUH), which was funded with a budget of $38 million. Last year, Agilent also collaborated with NUS to create the NUS-Agilent Center of Excellence in Cell Metabolism, further supporting the Singapore Ministry of Health’s Project RESET and the Cardiovascular Metabolic Disease Translational Research Programme.

This collaboration between Agilent and NHCS highlights a significant step forward in addressing metabolic heart failure, a pressing global health issue. With innovative approaches and advanced technologies, the partnership aims to improve outcomes for patients suffering from this debilitating condition.

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