There's nothing quite so exciting, technology-wise, as a system that can do more than one thing from the same platform. This kind of Swiss Army knife-style technology allows for some incredible versatility in function, and the ability to offer several great tools all in one. A new partnership between Novartis—through its Alcon division, which focuses on eye care--and Google is working to do just that, and the resulting combination will result in a contact lens that's not just smart, but versatile.
The combination effort is producing a kind of “smart” contact lens that actually delivers two exciting purposes all at once. One, the lens functions as a standard contact lens, after a fashion, but this time allowing for closer-in vision for the farsighted. Farsightedness generally doesn't allow for correction with contact lenses but with the Novartis / Google version, it can effectively function in the same way as a camera's autofocus. Plus, the lens itself can either be worn as a camera lens might be, or can be inserted into the eye directly, usually during cataract surgery.
That by itself would be no mean achievement, but it only gets better from here. The lenses would also operate as a blood glucose meter. This time, however, instead of measuring glucose levels in the blood, instead, the lenses would measure the glucose in tears. The lenses would then be capable of routing said information to a handheld device, which in turn could warn users about the need to raise or lower glucose levels as need be at the time.
Novartis' CEO, Joseph Jimenez, expressed the hope that this wouldn't be the last Novartis / Google co-production, saying “It was very clear that there could be a very nice synergistic value between bringing high tech together with biology to solve some of the biggest health care issues that we're facing.” Of the product itself, meanwhile, Jimenez noted that the product addressed “...issues that have been unmet medical needs for quite some time.”
There's still quite a bit about this co-production, however, that is yet to be determined. For instance, human testing isn't expected to start until next year, and pricing has yet to be decided either. But given that there are around 1.7 billion farsighted people on Earth and over 380 million diabetics, the opportunity here is substantial indeed.
Additionally, the overall size and scope of the healthcare market, which makes the further cooperation of Novartis and Google a particularly rational response. Making devices that effectively cover more than one point at the same time is extraordinarily worthwhile as it requires potentially lower investment on the user's part. Consider that, strictly hypothetically, a blood-glucose monitor might cost $100 and contact lenses might costs a similar $100, but a device that accomplishes both functions could easily sell for $175 and still represent a bargain to the user. Google and Novartis taking advantage of the bundling concept might indicate a start of something much greater in scope.
While some might be unnerved by the thought of Google—already a company with a broad scope to say the least—getting involved in the healthcare field, the idea of a major scientific mind bringing about advances to improve humanity's quality of life is actually a pretty welcome one at that. Only time will tell just how far the company ultimately goes with this, but we could be looking at a big start in the field, and other competitors getting in on the action as well.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
