Agilent and National Heart Centre Singapore Collaborate on 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 efforts in metabolic heart failure. This partnership aims to uncover the metabolic drivers of heart failure and expedite the development of new therapeutic strategies. Heart failure is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, particularly in its metabolic forms, such as diabetic heart failure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), which present significant treatment challenges.

Under the agreement, Agilent and NHCS will leverage their combined expertise in human cardiac organoids, utilizing human-derived heart tissues. They will employ advanced analytical technologies, including the Agilent Seahorse XF Flex Analyzer, which facilitates real-time metabolic analysis of three-dimensional tissues and organoid workflows. This innovative approach aims to investigate the metabolic factors contributing to heart failure.

Prof Derek Hausenloy, 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 initiative aims to accelerate the discovery of new therapies and ensure their safe testing, ultimately providing hope to heart failure patients facing limited treatment options.

NHCS has established a strong reputation for modelling monogenic cardiac diseases through the use of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This research has led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets currently undergoing clinical evaluation. By integrating Agilent’s cutting-edge technology with NHCS’s Preclinical Platform for Development of Therapeutics for Heart Failure (PREVENT-HF), the partnership is poised to generate hypotheses for clinical validation, offering fresh insights into disease progression and the development of new treatments.

Bharat Bhardwaj, vice president of APAC sales at Agilent, remarked on the significance of the collaboration, 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 played a pivotal role in advancing research aimed at improving population health in Singapore. In 2019, the company partnered with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National University Hospital (NUH) to launch a research hub with an investment of $38 million. This initiative aimed to enhance clinical diagnostics and biochemistry testing capabilities. Last year, Agilent collaborated with NUS to establish the NUS-Agilent Center of Excellence in Cell Metabolism, supporting the Singapore Ministry of Health’s Project RESET and the Cardiovascular Metabolic Disease Translational Research Programme (CVMD-TRP) as well as PREVENT-HF.

Agilent Technologies Inc. is a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, providing insights and innovation that enable customers to advance scientific discovery. In the fiscal year 2024, the company reported revenues of $6.51 billion and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide.

The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) is recognized as a premier national and regional referral center for cardiovascular diseases. It offers a comprehensive range of cardiac care services, spanning preventive to rehabilitative care. In 2025, NHCS was ranked as the 12th best cardiology hospital in the world according to Newsweek. As an academic medical center, NHCS is dedicated to training healthcare professionals and advancing cardiovascular health through innovative translational research in collaboration with both local and international partners.

For further details about Agilent Technologies and NHCS, please visit their respective websites at www.agilent.com and www.nhcs.com.sg.