Google’s life sciences team has been jettisoned from the tech giant’s X lab to become a standalone business under the newly formed Alphabet umbrella.
Announcing the move in a blog, Google co-founder and Alphabet president Sergey Brin said while the reporting structure will be different, the team’s goal remains the same.
“They’ll continue to work with other life sciences companies to move new technologies from early stage R&D to clinical testing – and, hopefully – transform the way we detect, prevent, and manage disease”.
The unit’s current head Andy Conrad will remain at the helm of the new firm, which is yet to be officially named.
Google X projects include smart contact lenses able to monitor blood sugar levels, health-tracking wrist bands, and the use of nanoparticles in cancer detection and treatment.
Work at the unit remains separate from that of Google-owned biotech Calico, which is focused on the biology of ageing to develop interventions that help people lead longer and healthier lives.
