Agilent and Singapore's NATi Partner to Advance Lipid-Conjugated Oligonucleotide Research

Collaboration expands research of new delivery platform beyond liver tissues supporting potential preclinical development and strengthens Singapore's position as a biomedical innovation hub

SINGAPORE, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced 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 research into complex oligonucleotide (oligo) candidates, a promising frontier in precision therapeutics with potential applications across cardiovascular-metabolic, rare and infectious diseases.

The global oligo therapeutics market exceeded $7 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $18 billion by 2030¹, driven by clinically validated DNA- and RNA-based therapies that continue to face analytical challenges beyond liver-targeted delivery².

Under this agreement, the collaboration will focus on developing end-to-end analytical and preparative workflows to support ligand-conjugated strategies, a new platform designed to extend oligo delivery beyond the liver tissues, unlock access to extrahepatic tissues and expand the therapeutic addressable market.

By combining NATi's extensive expertise in nucleic acid and chemical modifications with Agilent's 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 collaboration will enable precise characterization, purification and quality assessment of lipid-modified oligo, a key modality to accelerating more efficient preclinical development.  

"Lipid-conjugated oligonucleotides represent a promising next frontier in nucleic acid therapeutics, particularly in expanding beyond hepatic delivery. Working with strategic partners like Agilent allows us to tighten the value chain from research to clinic, accelerating the development of next-generation oligo therapeutics that address areas of significant unmet medical need," 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. Our priority remains to help existing and new biopharma customers accelerate new discoveries through research advancement. This collaboration is yet another example of our commitment to investing in high-growth markets while delivering on Agilent's mission of improving the quality of life," said Bharat Bhardwaj, Vice President of APAC Sales at Agilent.

The agreement includes structured training and access to advanced analytical capabilities at Agilent's Global Solution Development Center (GSDC) in Singapore, along with a broader suite of Agilent analytical instruments.

With more than 25 years of investment in Singapore, Agilent has grown its local presence to about 600 scientists, engineers and skilled professionals and operates an 860,000-square-foot manufacturing facility recognized by the World Economic Forum. The expanding footprint underscores Agilent's long-term commitment to building local scientific capabilities, talent development and strengthening Singapore's position as a leading biomedical innovation hub for the region and beyond.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, delivering insights and innovation that help our customers bring great science to life. Agilent's full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $6.95 billion in fiscal year 2025 and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi)

The Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi) is a national platform based in Singapore and hosted by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), dedicated to advancing RNA medicines from discovery to early clinical development. NATi combines deep scientific expertise with scalable technology platforms to generate differentiated nucleic acid therapeutic assets. Through close collaboration with industry and public partners, NATi drives translation, enables commercialisation, and strengthens Singapore's capabilities in next-generation therapeutics. Learn more at www.nati.sg.

Media Contacts

Grace Thong
Agilent Technologies
+65 9688 2152
grace.thong@agilent.com

Grace Thong

Agilent Technologies                                                                          

+65 9688 2152

grace.thong@agilent.com

Owen Sia
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
+65 6517 7866
owen_sia@a-star.edu.sg

Owen Sia

Agency for Science, Technology and Research               

+65 6517 7866

owen_sia@a-star.edu.sg

1. MarketsandMarkets. Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Market Size, Growth, Share & Trends Analysis
   https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/oligonucleotide-therapeutics-market-41710113.html 
2. AlShaer D, Al Musaimi, O, Albericio F,  de la Torre BG. 2025 FDA TIDES (Peptides and Oligonucleotides) Harvest. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2026 Jan 30;19(2):244. doi: 10.3390/ph19020244. PMID: 41754785; PMCID: PMC12943124.

 

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Agilent and Singapore's NATi Partner to Advance Lipid-Conjugated Oligonucleotide Research

Kong Continues Strong Momentum in Singapore as Demand for AI Connectivity Rises

SINGAPORE, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, today announced two major expansions in Singapore: the availability of Dedicated Cloud Gateways and the regional hosting of the Kong Konnect control plane. Organizations across Singapore are showing growing interest in modern platforms to safely and reliably connect AI to data and applications, reflecting confidence in the city-state as a global hub for innovation and digital growth. Kong also continues to expand its investment in Singapore as a strategic hub for Asia Pacific operations.

The company is growing its regional go-to-market and site reliability engineering teams, while strengthening local leadership with senior technical roles based in Singapore, to best support enterprise customers, technology partners, and developers across the region. By combining local expertise with regional infrastructure, Kong aims to provide faster response times, deeper customer engagement, and stronger alignment with the evolving needs of organizations building AI-driven platforms.

"Singapore has established itself as one of the most important technology and innovation hubs in Asia Pacific, with both Enterprise and Government sectors leading the adoption of cloud and AI-first platforms," said David Carless, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Kong. "We continue to see strong demand in the region for unified platforms like Kong Konnect that can provide secure, high performance connectivity across APIs, AI services, and events while meeting security, regulatory, and data governance requirements."

Kong Konnect, the unified API and AI platform, is already adopted by many top enterprises across Singapore. These technologies are used by leading organizations including Seaco, a global provider of intermodal container leasing and asset management services, that implemented Kong Konnect to unify governance and streamline communications with partners worldwide.

Dedicated Cloud Gateway and Konnect In Singapore

With Dedicated Cloud Gateways now available in Singapore, organizations can deploy Kong Gateway and Kong AI Gateway on single tenant infrastructure while Kong manages the control plane, infrastructure lifecycle, and ongoing operations. Available on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, this fully managed approach delivers low latency performance, high availability, and in-region data residency while keeping sensitive API and AI traffic within Singapore to meet local compliance requirements.

In addition, Kong Konnect now supports regional control plane deployment in Singapore, allowing organizations to manage configuration, policy, and governance for their API and AI infrastructure from within the region. By hosting the Konnect control plane locally, enterprises can align with regional data residency and compliance expectations while reducing operational latency for teams operating across Asia Pacific. This capability complements Dedicated Cloud Gateways by enabling both management and traffic layers to operate within the same regional environment.

Long-Standing IMDA-Accredited status

This regional availability builds on Kong's established presence in Singapore, including being accredited by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore. The IMDA Accreditation recognizes Kong as a trusted enterprise technology provider and validates the company's ability to meet stringent technical, security, and operational requirements. Being accredited helps streamline procurement for public sector and regulated organizations, reinforcing Kong's role of having a secure and compliant unified API and AI platform for enterprises operating in Singapore.

"Kong's ongoing investment in local infrastructure and talent is helping organisations build advanced digital and AI-driven services, while simultaneously enabling best-in-class governance and compliance adherence," said Mr. Edwin Low, Director, Enterprise & Ecosystem Development, IMDA. "Maintaining Singapore's position as a global digital hub depends on strong collaboration with technology providers that demonstrate robust security, reliability, and compliance standards."

For more information about Kong Konnect and Dedicated Cloud Gateways, please visit: https://konghq.com/products/kong-konnect/features/dedicated-cloud-gateways.

About Kong

Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.

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Kong Konnect Now Available in Singapore