Agilent and Singapore’s NATi sign research partnership on oligonucleotide therapeutics

The work focuses on oligonucleotide therapeutics.

Agilent Technologies Inc. has signed a two-year research collaboration agreement with Singapore’s Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi), hosted by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), to accelerate development of next-generation oligonucleotide therapeutics.

The collaboration will focus on analytical and preparative workflows for ligand-conjugated oligonucleotides, which are designed to improve delivery of therapies beyond the liver and expand treatment options for cardiovascular-metabolic, rare and infectious diseases.

The global oligonucleotide therapeutics market surpassed $7b in 2025 and is projected to reach $18b by 2030.

NATi will contribute expertise in nucleic acid and chemical modifications, while Agilent will provide analytical technologies including its 1290 Infinity III Bio UHPLC system, InfinityLab Pro iQ Plus mass detector, Preparative HPLC system, 6545XT AdvanceBio Quadrupole Time of Flight LC/MS, and Seahorse XF technologies.

The partnership aims to improve characterization, purification and quality assessment of lipid-modified oligonucleotides to support faster preclinical development.

“Lipid-conjugated oligonucleotides represent a promising next frontier in nucleic acid therapeutics, particularly in expanding beyond hepatic delivery,” said Dr Mohamed ElSayed, executive director of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi).

“As oligo-based therapies continue to transform precision medicine, the ability to reliably analyze and purify complex conjugates becomes increasingly critical,” added Bharat Bhardwaj, vice president of APAC Sales at Agilent. He said the collaboration supports Agilent’s strategy to help biopharma companies accelerate precision medicine research

The agreement also includes training programs and access to Agilent’s Global Solution Development Center in Singapore.

Agilent has operated in Singapore for more than 25 years and employs around 600 scientists, engineers and professionals in the country.