Thermo Fisher Scientific and National University of Singapore Collaborate on Metabolomics Study of Urban Water Systems
Goal of this academic/industry collaboration is to develop mass spectrometry-based techniques to study metabolites in water.
- (1888PressRelease) January 28, 2013 - SAN JOSE, Calif. and SINGAPORE - Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, and National University of Singapore's (NUS) Environmental Research Institute (NERI), a leading global interdisciplinary institute for environmental sciences and engineering announced that they have formed a collaboration to study how metabolism in plants and bacteria affects water quality and the ecosystem in and around Singapore.
In the study, researchers from NERI and the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), an interdisciplinary Research Centre of Excellence (RCE), funded by National Research Foundation, Singapore Ministry of Education, NUS and Nanyang Technological University, will examine how metabolomes (all the metabolites present in an organism at a given time) relate to the functioning of microbes in the urban water cycle. The team will employ a wide range of analytical tools including state-of-the-art liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) systems to identify and measure metabolites in samples. One of the goals is to better understand and enhance the self-purification capacity of urban waterways that use natural processes to reduce or remove nutrient and contaminant loads in surface water. Another goal is to understand the metabolic basis of wastewater purification in order to improve the processes involved.
"Safe and sustainable quality water is fundamental to both human and ecosystem health. By understanding better how plants and microbes affect our water quality, we could look into developing improved tools or methods that could significantly increase our ability to identify health and environmental threats more prudently. We are delighted to be partnering with Thermo Fisher Scientific in working towards this endeavor and believe that this collaboration that marries nature and technology will lead us to new findings that would benefit the society," said Professor Ong Choon Nam, Director of NUS Environmental Research Institute.
"NERI and Thermo Fisher Scientific share the vision of helping to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer, which is why we are so delighted to team up with this group of expert scientists in environmental sciences," said Bhaskar Narayanaan, Vice President and General Manager, Thermo Fisher Singapore. "This combination of research expertise with Thermo Scientific analytical technology creates tremendous synergy."
Under this collaboration:
Thermo Fisher Scientific will enhance NERI's existing LC-MS systems (Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Velos Pro hybrid LC-MS and the Thermo Scientific Equan MAX turnkey automated, high throughput LC-MS system for water analysis) with the latest state-of-the-art instrumentation and technologies including the new Thermo Scientific Exactive Plus high-resolution and accurate mass LC/MS.
NERI and SCELSE researchers will have special access to the comprehensive range of Thermo Fisher Scientific laboratory solutions as workflow needs dictate.
An active exchange of ideas and expertise will be promoted to enhance equipment knowledge and software performance.
Efforts will be made to develop new sample preparation methodologies, innovative applications and publications for the scientific community.
NERI and Thermo Fisher Scientific will work to expand the workforce in the field of Environmental Metabolomics.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of $12 billion, we have approximately 39,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through three premier brands, Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services, which offer a unique combination of innovative technologies, convenient purchasing options and a single solution for laboratory operations management. Our products and services help our customers solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Visit www.thermofisher.com.
About National University of Singapore
A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university which offers a global approach to education and research, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.
NUS has 16 faculties and schools across three campuses. Over 37,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives.
NUS has three Research Centres of Excellence (RCE) and 23 university-level research institutes and centres. NUS is also a part of Singapore's 5th RCE, SCELSE. NUS shares a close affiliation with 16 national-level research institutes and centres. Research activities are strategic and robust, and NUS is well-known for its research strengths in engineering, life sciences and biomedicine, social sciences and natural sciences. It also strives to create a supportive and innovative environment to promote creative enterprise within its community.
For more information, please visit www.nus.edu.sg
About NUS Environmental Research Institute
The National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute (NERI) is a leading interdisciplinary centre for environmental research in Asia. The Institute brings together leading researchers and expertise across the NUS campus to conduct and foster collaborative, multidisciplinary environmental research; coordinate the development of strategic thematic research; train graduate research students for academic careers in the environmental sciences and engineering, and facilitate the transfer of technology to industry.
A key thrust of NERI is to conduct innovative globally impactful research on scarce resources. Some of the current research undertaken within the Institute includes environmental monitoring, surveillance, and management of environmental pollutants, environmental and public health issues related to climate change, food security and safety, Green Chemistry and Sustainable Energy such as waste-to-energy conversion. One of NERI's strategic programmes, Singapore Peking Oxford Research Enterprise (SPORE) for Water Eco-Efficiency, will also be part of this collaboration. More information is available at www.nus.edu.sg/neri/
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