The Google’s life sciences division, which is situated under the newly formed umbrella organization called Alphabet, has taken on the ambitious venture of helping people with diabetes. Millions of men and women across the United States prick their finger as many as five times each day in an effort to monitor their blood glucose levels. This process is not only costly but also can be painful. While some were initially surprised that Google life Sciences’ announcement, industry experts point out that the nearly quarter of a trillion dollars spent each year on managing diabetes makes it an obvious target.
The group’s Chief Executive Officer, Andy Conrad, announced that an intelligent contact lens that, with the help of an embedded microchip, is capable of monitoring glucose levels in the user’s tears. Additionally, the life sciences division announced that they came to an agreement with Dexcom, an established pharmaceutical company specializing in diabetes. It was revealed that pharma firm will shell out nearly $100 million as well as provide Google a portion of their future sales.
Michael Chae, who is an executive of the Bay Area’s local Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, notes that with the surging popularity and technological advancements in wearables, the men and women with diabetes could be living a much more comfortable and carefully-monitored existence in the coming years. Christina Farr notes that those with Diabetes are not currently equipped with data highlighting how variations in exercise and nutrition can impact their blood sugar levels. This data could be the first step in preventing stroke, hypoglycemia, and heart disease.
While all this sounds promising, products most likely won’t be released to the public for several years given the technical and regulatory challenges that lie ahead. Since announcing the reorganization of the company last month, Google, now Alphabet, has shown its commitment to tackling monumental challenges such as that discussed above.