Google announces new healthcare venture
Google has announced Calico, a new company that will focus on health and well-being, in particular the challenge of aging and associated diseases.
The internet juggernaut announced the new venture with a blog post written by CEO Larry Page, in which he writes, “Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives...OK … so you’re probably thinking wow! That’s a lot different from what Google does today. And you’re right. But as we explained in our first letter to shareholders, there’s tremendous potential for technology more generally to improve people’s lives. So don’t be surprised if we invest in projects that seem strange or speculative compared with our existing internet businesses. And please remember that new investments like this are very small by comparison to our core business."
Arthur D. Levinson, chairman and former CEO of Genentech and chairman of Apple, will be CEO and a founding investor.
Google has dabbled in healthcare before. Google Glass has proved both useful and challenging to surgeons. In early August, it was reported that in the eyes of some healthcare professionals, Glass holds promise as an innovative and effective tool in the operating room, but to others, its privacy disaster potential looms large. The company's foray into personal health records failed and the platform was shut down in 2011.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.