Google Inc. has formed a partnership with pharmaceutical company Novartis AG to develop a smart contact lens capable of improving vision and helping diabetics manage their condition.
The lenses would be able to observe tear fluid with a small sensor in order to obtain data on glucose levels, according to the Wall Street Journal. The two companies said Monday that as part of the deal, technology from the search giant's development team Google[x] will be licensed and commercialized by Novartis' Alcon eye-care division.
Current methods of monitoring glucose levels usually call for patients with diabetes to prick their fingers, providing droplets of blood. Using the lenses to keep track of glucose levels has the potential to be easier to use than current methods. Joe Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis, said the development of wearable health technology is part of the movement to get patients more involved in managing their own health.
"This will be a very important growth area in the future," Jimenez said in an interview, adding that the smart lenses could become a "large revenue stream" for Novartis.
The lenses will send the blood sugar level data to the diabetic's mobile device so that the user knows how high the levels are. Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, said the company was aiming to use "the latest technology in 'minituarisation' of electronics" as a way to improve people's "quality of life," Forbes reported.
Neither company revealed when exactly development for the lenses would be completed, or when the technology will be made commercially available. However, Jimenez said Novartis "would hope to be able to commercialize it within about five years."
Diabetes is a condition in which the body can't handle sugar, which is usually caused by its inability to produce insulin. The disease affects close to 382 million people around the world, with the American Diabetes Association stating it affects over 29 million people in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported.
Jimenez also said the smart lenses would be able to improve vision in a similar way that lenses improve vision on autofocus cameras. Novartis is looking to make a prototype of the lenses ready for research-and-development reviews by early 2015.
