USC, Agilent Technologies to open center
Agilent Technologies announced a new collaboration on Monday with the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience to develop an Agilent Center of Excellence in Biomolecular Characterization.
The collaboration between the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience and Agilent Technologies will combine both the academic and industry aspects of science. Photo from USC News
The Agilent CoE, which will be housed in Michelson Hall, will provide students and local customers with access to scientific researchers, Agilent instrumentation and technologies all in one scientific environment.
“Agilent’s collaboration with the Michelson Center is an excellent example of how academia and industry can work together, sharing knowledge and expertise to shorten the timeline between scientific discoveries and real-world applications,” Darlene Solomon, Agilent’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, said to BusinessWire. “Convergent bioscience research requires successful collaboration across multiple disciplines — a holistic approach that is central to Agilent’s view of the future.”
Michelson Center principal investigator Valery Fokin is an essential member in Agilent’s collaboration with the state-of-the-art facility. The Fokin lab will continue to help develop collaborative drug discovery projects and focus on molecular level biological interactions and chemical reactivity.
Projects include the chemical synthesis of screening and focused libraries and biological assay implementation as well as the development of targeted drug delivery systems, diagnostics and vaccines.
This collaboration will involve some of the world’s most influential biomedical scientists, according to BusinessWire. Their research on structural biology and cancer metastasis have led to significant advances in medical treatments and pharmaceutical drugs.
“As convergent bioscience becomes a major contributor to scientific knowledge … academic and industry collaboration will play a key role,” Stephen Bradforth, a Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences professor, said to BusinessWire. “I’m pleased that Agilent has the vision to support our efforts in this important emerging research field.”