Health sciences and photonics company PerkinElmer Inc. of Waltham, Mass., today opened its new research and development center in Singapore, which will serve as a base for the company's global R&D efforts. The PerkinElmer Center of Excellence in Singapore will manufacture instruments for atomic absorption spectroscopy and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy to detect both inorganic and organic materials in the environment, food, materials and oil industries. The facility will also focus R&D efforts on expanding the company's EcoAnalytix line of products for food and consumer product safety, water quality and sustainable energy development. "The products that will be researched and developed here in Singapore will impact many aspects of our lives, from systems to test the safety of the water we drink and the quality of the air we breathe, to technology that may help to identify a new medication to cure a disease," said Richard F. Begley, PhD, president, Analytical Sciences, PerkinElmer Inc. The company said it considers the Asia Pacific to be a "key growth region," with significant opportunities in areas such as pharmaceutical research, neonatal and prenatal screening, and environmental monitoring.