Agilent Partners with NHCS to Propel Heart Failure Research

Agilent Technologies Inc. has entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) to advance research in metabolic heart failure. This collaboration aims to address one of the most complex and underserved areas in cardiovascular medicine. Heart failure remains a leading global cause of death and disability, with metabolic forms like diabetic heart failure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) presenting significant challenges due to limited treatment options.

The partnership will leverage Agilent’s cutting-edge analytical technologies, including the Seahorse XF Flex Analyzer, to explore the metabolic drivers of heart failure using human cardiac organoids derived from patient tissues. This innovative approach allows researchers to conduct real-time metabolic analysis in three-dimensional tissues, which is crucial for understanding the early changes in heart cell energy usage before visible damage occurs.

Prof. Derek Hausenloy, director of the National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS) at NHCS, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating, “Our partnership 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 accelerates the discovery of new therapies and safely testing them, ultimately offering hope to heart failure patients who currently have limited treatment options.”

NHCS has established itself as a leader in modeling monogenic cardiac diseases through the use of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This foundation has led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets that are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. By integrating Agilent’s next-generation technology with NHCS’s Preclinical Platform for Development of Therapeutics for Heart Failure (PREVENT-HF), the collaboration is well-positioned to generate hypotheses for clinical validation. This could provide new insights into disease progression and contribute to the development and assessment of treatment safety and efficacy in clinically relevant models.

Bharat Bhardwaj, vice president of APAC sales at Agilent, remarked, “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, positioning us at the frontier of cardiovascular research locally, regionally, and globally.”

Over the past decade, Agilent has made significant contributions to research aimed at improving population health in Singapore. In 2019, the company collaborated with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National University Hospital (NUH) to launch a research hub with an investment of $38 million to enhance clinical diagnostics and biochemistry testing. Additionally, last year, Agilent partnered with NUS through the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to establish the NUS-Agilent Center of Excellence in Cell Metabolism, supporting the Singapore Ministry of Health’s Project RESET and cardiovascular metabolic disease translational research programme.

Agilent Technologies Inc. is recognized as a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies. The company generated revenue of $6.51 billion in the fiscal year 2024 and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide. More information about Agilent can be found at www.agilent.com.

The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) serves as a national and regional referral centre for cardiovascular diseases, providing a comprehensive range of cardiac care services. It has been ranked #12 as the World’s Best Cardiology Hospital by Newsweek in 2025. NHCS is committed to advancing cardiovascular health through cutting-edge research and training healthcare professionals, collaborating with both local and international partners. For further details, visit www.nhcs.com.sg.