Alphabet's Life Sciences Group Renamed Verily With Focus On Preventive Medicine

Alphabet, Google's parent company, has renamed its life sciences division Verily with a goal on using technology and science to better understand health, as well as prevent, detect and manage disease.

The life sciences group, formed within the Google X Lab division, spun out as an independent company under Alphabet in August, but it did not have a name until this week. Projects include developing a contact lens with a built-in glucose sensor and a wearable device to detect blood-sugar levels.

In a video on YouTube, the group explains that humans are healthy until diagnosed with a disease. Rather than remain reactive, the team wants to promote proactive and preventive care for each individual on earth. It may seem like a lofty goal, but by pairing chemists with engineers with philosopher folks like CEO Andy Conrad, former chief scientist at LabCorp believe scientists can find preventative cures.

Aside from Conrad, the team within the company reads like a who's who in tech and medicine, from CTO Brian Otis, who joined Google[x] as founder of the smart contact lens project to chief medical officer and cardiologist Jessica Mega.

Among Verily's work wearables focusing on ways to detect cancer at very early stages. The research team is also taking on a multi-year project called Baseline, a study that aims to identify traits associated with a healthy human and the changes that take place in individuals as they transition from being healthy to having a disease, per one report. Results will not be shared with insurance companies and data will be kept anonymous. 

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