Agilent in deal with government of Malaysia to cooperate in biotechnology

Agilent Technologies says it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Malaysia through the Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals (IPHARM), an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), to promote and develop cooperation in biotechnology.

Under the terms of the MoU, the strategic alliance will focus on the establishment of the IPHARM-Agilent Global Reference Research Lab and the development of human capital in the emerging field of biotechnology. The lab will develop global Halal* testing standards in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. It also will provide access to state-of-the-art analytical tools and expertise to develop the local industry and small and medium enterprise (SME) ecosystem in their commercialization efforts.

IPHARM brings its domain expertise in bioactive compounds research and analysis to the partnership while leveraging Malaysia's inherited strength in biodiversity and its aspiration to be a global Halal testing leader in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.