Overview

Agilent says it is on “the leading edge of nearly every major trend in communications and life sciences.” Its tools and technologies are designed to provide biopharmaceutical companies and research organizations the ability to learn how to turn genetic code into disease cures.

Spun off from Hewlett-Packard Co. in 1999, Agilent Technologies’ Chemical Analysis and Life Sciences Division provides bioinformatics efforts and lab-on-a-chip technologies. Key products include microarrays, bioanalyzers, bioinformatic software, gas and liquid chromatographs, mass spectrometry systems and LabChips, which automate the analysis of DNA and proteins.

Researchers at Agilent labs are collaborating with the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to help scientists improve diagnosis and treatment capabilities for cancer. Also, they’re working with university medical researchers to help develop an understanding of disease.

Partners

With about 41,000 employees and 40 facilities worldwide, Agilent has its hands in numerous science fields. However, in the drug discovery area, it collaborates with Argonaut Technologies, Cohesive Technologies and Wyatt Technology. Its customers include Amgen Inc., Browning-Ferris, Exxon, Merck & Co. Inc., Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc., Monsanto Co. and Pfizer Inc.