Agilent Technologies and Wyss Institute announce collaboration

Agilent Technologies has entered into a new partnership with the Wyss Institute for Biologically-Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.

The agreement will see the two organisations work together to develop innovative tools, technologies and instruments in the field of biologically-inspired engineering, an area which has been identified as holding major potential for human health applications.

Agilent will be responsible for offering financial support, technical expertise and materials to support Wyss' research into biomaterials evolution, programmable nanomaterials and biomimetic microsystems platforms.

Among the areas on which the collaboration will focus is the mechanical properties of living tissues and their influence on cell behaviour and the progression of diseases such as cancer.

Darlene Solomon, Agilent's chief technology officer, said: "Agilent is very pleased to collaborate with the Wyss Institute as we share a strong commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary contribution and high-impact research."

Last week, Agilent announced the launch of its SurePrint G3 Exon Microarrays, a new innovation which facilitates the analysis of genes.