Life Sciences Google X Division Becomes First New Alphabet Company

The life sciences team once known as Google's X Project group became the first official new business created under the Alphabet holding company, Google co-founder and Alphabet president Sergey Brin announced Friday in a blog post.

The bold move in life sciences has enormous potential, but it's not likely to become financially self-supporting any time soon.

Three years ago, Google started a project to put electronics inside a contact lens. That venture turned into a life sciences team with the mission to develop new technologies that makes healthcare more proactive, Brin wrote. "The efforts it has spawned include a nanodiagnostics platform, a cardiac and activity monitor, and the Baseline Study," he explains.

Andy Conrad will lead the life sciences company as CEO. The team of software engineers, oncologists, and optics experts will continue to work with other life sciences companies to move new technologies from early-stage research and development to clinical testing.

Calico, which focuses on life extension projects; smart contact lenses that can monitor the blood sugar levels of diabetics;  and Nanoparticles that can be used to detect and fight cancer are some of the life sciences projects that Google has tackled. 

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