In one of the continuous efforts of Google in the health care technology, its Life Sciences team has entered an agreement with DexCom to develop a series of next-generation continuous glucose monitoring products (CGM). This announcement just came in after its more widely reported decision to reinvent itself as a holding company (Alphabet).
This collaboration hopes to develop new products that are smaller and less expensive than the current products in the market. With Google's miniaturized electronics platform and DexCom's renowned sensor technology, they also hope to improve the outcome generated by the CGM products and ultimately reduce the costs for diabetes care.
Kevin Sayer, the President and Chief Executive Officer of DexCom has great visions for this partnership. "Working together, we believe we can introduce products that will move us beyond our core Type 1 business to become the standard of care for all people living with diabetes", he was quoted saying in report published in PR Newswire. In the same report, Andrew Conrad, head o Life Sciences Team at Google was quick to add, "This collaboration is another step towards expanding monitoring options and making it easier for people with diabetes to proactively manage their health."
The products will be designed to be disposable, cheaper and convenient, meaning it can be used across all types of diabetes. The sensor will be about the size of a Band-Aid and will sit on the skin to monitor blood sugar levels on a constant basis rather than in a series of isolated finger pricks. This is like controlling diabetes with real-time and actionable information.
This partnership is not the first venture of Google on improving the technology in health care industry. Their first attempt was with Novartis last January. They hope to develop a smart lens technology that will monitory glucose level through your eyes. Moreover, these contact lens hope to provide vision correction for people with presbyopia by restoring the eye's natural autofocus. However, the partnership with Dexcom will utilize a more traditional process.
