Agilent Technologies Inc., a global leader in life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets, announced a strategic collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in a move aimed to help researchers develop more effective medicine to treat cardiovascular disease.

The Department of Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at NUS will have access to the latest bioanalytical instruments from Agilent as part of its in-depth study of clinical bioanalytics-the body's response to drug exposure.

"We are happy to be working with Agilent," said assistant professor Chester Drum, Department of Medicine at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. "Agilent's broad range of technologies will, ultimately, aid in the development of new analytics for personalized patient care. Consideration of the patient as an individual, rather than a statistic, is where we will see the next innovations in cardiovascular medicine."

Dr. Drum, who is also with the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore, aims to provide real-time readouts for patients to understand the risk-benefit of commonly prescribed medications throughout the lifecycle of a drug. Presently, the research is on drugs for heart disease but could be extended to a host of related diseases, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease was the No. 1 cause of death worldwide in 2012.

"This collaboration with NUS Medicine is exciting, as we can see that the potential outcomes could save lives or improve people's quality of life," said Agilent's Robin Philp, specialist for the academic market in the South East Asia Pacific and Korea region. "We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with research leaders like NUS Medicine, who will be using our technology to conduct faster, more accurate research in their quest to answer science's tough questions."

"As a leading cardiovascular research organization in Singapore, we are delighted to partner with Agilent to enable the development of cutting-edge analytical biochemistry infrastructure, intellectual property and human capital in Singapore," said professor Mark Richards, director of the CVRI. "This partnership is an excellent example of an intelligent extension of our institute's technical capacity while keeping in step with the needs of industry for mutually constructive and productive partnerships with academic biomedical research groups."

Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding, Agilent will provide access to its proof-of-concept laboratory in Singapore. One of the instruments in the lab will be the Agilent 6550 iFunnel quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (Q-TOF LC/MS) system. The 6550 is best suited for highly challenging qualitative and quantitative analyses in applications such as metabolomics, early-stage drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics.

Dr. Drum's team will also have access to the Agilent Capillary Electrophoresis System model 7100, a high-sensitivity instrument used for small sample amounts of charged substances such as biomolecules, low molecular weight basic and acidic drugs and ions. Both NUS Medicine and Agilent will have opportunities to present at various industry or Agilent-led events or seminars in Asia Pacific region.

Established in 1905, the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine was the first institution of higher learning in Singapore and the genesis of what would become the National University of Singapore, a leading global university centred in Asia. The School offers one of the finest undergraduate medical programs in the Asia Pacific region and commands international recognition and respect.