Google X Team Developing Cancer And Heart Attack-Monitoring Ingestible Nano-Machines
Google is responsible for a lot of things that have made our lives better. Better search, better email, and one impressive mobile operating system. But beyond its commercial success sits a research department that's doing fascinating stuff. Project Loon is helping rural areas around the globe receive Internet for the first time, and it appears that Google's fixation on health is going to extend well beyond a simple app. The company's Google X division has announced a project whereby researchers are building nanoparticles that "combine a magnetic material with antibodies or proteins that can attach to and detect other molecules inside the body."
The goal? To enable patients to simply swallow a pill and have the nanoparticles tell a story about what's going on within one's body. It's a far more granular and exact way to tell a doctor exactly what is (or isn't) happening, and reportedly, a wearable device of some sort could gather the data and present it back to a professional. They could see things such as cancer cells, fragile plaque, too much sodium, and who knows what else. Effectively, there would be a researching computer in your bloodstream, collecting all sorts of vital information.
![ANDREW CONRAD, HEAD OF GOOGLE[x] LIFE SCIENCES](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Andrew Conrad, Head of Gogole[x] Life Sciences And Team
The possibilities, as you can imagine, are impressive. This could easily redefine diagnostic treatments in medicine, and would probably help doctors make more accurate calls when trying to pin down what ails a patient. As of now, Google has yet to receive proper certification to distribute this to the public, and it's still on the hunt for partners to take it beyond its conceptual origins. In other words, we could be many years away from this truly coming to market, but it's still amazing to hear that this type of work is being done.
Of course, it won't take long before pundits wonder if it's really a great idea to let Google inside of your body, but hey -- we already let it inside of our communication lanes, our bank account, and our daily commute. What's a little Googling in the bloodstream, right?
The goal? To enable patients to simply swallow a pill and have the nanoparticles tell a story about what's going on within one's body. It's a far more granular and exact way to tell a doctor exactly what is (or isn't) happening, and reportedly, a wearable device of some sort could gather the data and present it back to a professional. They could see things such as cancer cells, fragile plaque, too much sodium, and who knows what else. Effectively, there would be a researching computer in your bloodstream, collecting all sorts of vital information.
![ANDREW CONRAD, HEAD OF GOOGLE[x] LIFE SCIENCES](https://hothardware.com/newsimages/Item31466/Googles-Andrew-Conrad-And-Team.jpg)
Andrew Conrad, Head of Gogole[x] Life Sciences And Team
The possibilities, as you can imagine, are impressive. This could easily redefine diagnostic treatments in medicine, and would probably help doctors make more accurate calls when trying to pin down what ails a patient. As of now, Google has yet to receive proper certification to distribute this to the public, and it's still on the hunt for partners to take it beyond its conceptual origins. In other words, we could be many years away from this truly coming to market, but it's still amazing to hear that this type of work is being done.
Of course, it won't take long before pundits wonder if it's really a great idea to let Google inside of your body, but hey -- we already let it inside of our communication lanes, our bank account, and our daily commute. What's a little Googling in the bloodstream, right?
