Agilent will supply HPCGG with gene expression instrumentation, including a scanner for analysing microarrays and a bioanalyser for evaluating sample quality
Agilent Technologies and Partners HealthCare System have announced a one-year agreement for Agilent to provide microarray and gene expression products to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH).
Partners HealthCare is the parent organisation for MGH and BWH, two of the leading academic medical centres in the United States. "Sequencing the human genome was just the beginning of a biological research revolution that has the power to transform drug research and improve the health of millions," said Barney Saunders, senior director of science and technology strategy for Agilent's integrated biology solutions unit. "At any given time, only 10-30% of a cell's genes are expressed, or active.
"By using microarrays to compare which genes are overactive or underactive in diseased cells versus their healthy counterparts, researchers have the opportunity to identify early warning signs of disease, develop new therapeutics and better tailor treatments for individual patients". "It is important to Partners HealthCare provide our researchers with access to new technologies for conducting research," said Raju Kucherlapati, scientific director of the Harvard Medical School - Partners HealthCare Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG).
"By having the latest technologies from companies like Agilent, we give our scientists the tools they need to find new treatments and cures for our patients".
Through this agreement, Agilent will supply HPCGG with gene expression instrumentation, including a scanner for analysing microarrays and a bioanalyser for evaluating sample quality.
The agreement also determines pricing for Partners HealthCare's hospitals to purchase analytical tools and instruments from Agilent's life sciences and chemical analysis group, including liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, microarrays, microfluidic devices and associated software, columns, reagents and supplies.
