[nhab-tech] Re: Novartis Joins With Google to Develop Contact Lens That Monitors Blood Sugar.
- From: "Marie" <jomar2000@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <nhab-tech@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:31:36 -0400
Technology huh?
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From: nhab-tech-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:nhab-tech-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of gosselin_louis
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 9:39 AM
To: nhab-tech@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [nhab-tech] Novartis Joins With Google to Develop Contact Lens That
Monitors Blood Sugar.
Novartis Joins With Google to Develop Contact Lens That Monitors Blood
Sugar.
NY Times Wednesday, 2014_07_16
By MARK SCOTT. LONDON -- Google announced on Tuesday a partnership with the
European drug maker Novartis to develop a smart contact lens with the
potential to monitor the wearer's blood sugar levels.
The agreement is among recent moves into the health care sector by
technology giants including Apple and Samsung as they develop devices and
mobile applications to track people's daily lives..
Novartis said that Alcon, its eye care unit, had struck a deal to license
so-called smart lens technology from one of Google's research divisions.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the agreement, Alcon said it would look to create products from
Google's prototype smart contact lens, which uses miniature sensors and a
radio antenna thinner than a human hair to track glucose levels. The
companies did not specify how the data would be transmitted.
Information about blood sugar levels, which is particularly useful for
people with diabetes, could be uploaded to smartphone devices and used by
doctors and patients to monitor the data almost in real time, according to a
statement from Google issued when the company released its prototype in
January.
Joe Jimenez, the chief executive of Novartis, acknowledged in an interview
that many previous attempts to develop noninvasive glucose tests had failed,
noting that the company previously tried -- and failed -- to develop its own
glucose-monitoring contact lenses several years ago.
What makes this case different is the involvement of Google's engineers, he
said. 'One of the biggest hurdles was miniaturization, and that's one of the
biggest benefits that Google X brings,' he said. 'This is a set of engineers
that are really doing incredible things with technology.
While the glucose-monitoring lens has gotten most of the attention, Mr.
Jimenez said he was also encouraged by another lens in development that
would work much like autofocus on a camera, by helping the eye focus on near
objects, then readjusting when the user looks at something far away. He said
that product was not as far along in development, and that both lenses were
still early in their development.
'It's not going to happen overnight,' he said. 'This will take a few years,
as opposed to a few months.
Mr. Jimenez declined to disclose financial details of the deal. He also said
that it was too early to estimate what such lenses, if they are eventually
approved, would cost.
Sergey Brin, a Google founder, said the company's smart lens technology
could 'help improve the quality of life for millions of people.
The push to develop medical technology comes as several of the world's
largest technology companies are looking for new areas for growth. Analysts
say that the pharmaceutical and health care sectors are crucial targets as
people increasingly take greater control of their own medical treatment.
This year, Apple introduced health-tracking tools that monitor users'
footsteps, heart rates and sleep activities. Samsung already offers a number
of so-called wearable devices that also allow people to monitor their daily
movements.. PHOTO: The lab known for self-driving cars is making a contact
lens to measure glucose in tears. (PHOTOGRAPH BY GOOGLE, VIA AFP -- GETTY
IMAGES).
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