Google is dead serious about your health that it is even embarking in one of its most ambitious projects to date: tracking cancer cells using a nano pill.
In an article published on Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Google has just announced on Tuesday, October 28, during a live conference organized by WSJ a plan to design a nano health pill that can keep track of cancer cell formation and development.
Although the plan still remains sketchy, the pill, according to one of the heads of the Life Sciences team, is ingestible and contains very small magnetic particles that search for cancer cells in the body. The presence of these bio chemicals or early signs of cancer can then be detected through a wearable device, which works closely with the "magnets." It should be not obtrusive for a very comfortable wear and run on batteries that don't need frequent charging.
Both the pill and the wearable will then allow users to get a clear picture of their health in real time and deal with potentially serious diseases such as cancer while it's still in its early stage and the chance of survival is very high.
Google, however, remains secretive as to where it's currently being studied and/or developed. The facility, which has earned the moniker of Google X, is also the same place where Google Glass and self-driving cars came.
Although the team calls this their "dream," it may take a long while before it becomes a reality. The team knows that there are going to face many challenges along the way. For example, until today, they aren't sure how many magnetic particles should be in a pill in order to gather a more accurate data.
Further, since this will be ingestible, it needs to pass the very strict health safety standards and regulations especially from Food and Drug Administration.
Some may be worried about their privacy, although Google mentions that it's not going to keep any of the health information but provides licenses to others to do it.
