Google's Life Science to develop bandage-sized glucose monitoring device in partnership with Dexcom

Google's Life Science division, which now seems to be a stand-alone Alphabet company, has struck a deal with glucose monitoring company Dexcom to develop a product that will help people with diabetes.

Dexcom is asking Google's Life Science division to come up with a series of disposable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices that will be smaller and more affordable than what is currently offered in the market. Google's Life Science head Andrew Conrad said they are committed to developing these new technologies that will transition the health care from "reactive to proactive." This new partnership will assist diabetics manage their health in a more proactive manner. This new partnership will combine DexCom's sensor technology and Google's miniaturized electronic features. This device will be a bandage-sized sensor directly connected to the cloud.

This innovative technology will be very impressive. The device will be low-cost, disposable, small, and can give real-time glucose levels. It will create a new standard for monitoring diabetes, moving away from the finger-stick testing. This new technology will work for both patients of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

According to Dexcom EVP of Strategy and Product Development Steve Pacelli, the new technology will help medical practitioners overcome all the objections of patients who complain about wearing devices to monitor the glucose. The new technology will simply talk through the phone and it doesn't have to be calibrated.

Dexcom will sell exclusively the products developed through this partnership. In turn, the health company will pay Google Life Science $35 million in stock up front. There will be an additional $65 million if the partnership will reach a milestone. Life Science will get five to nine percent royalty on the products it has developed when it reaches a certain amount of revenue.

It seems like health and technology partnering up together will bring diabetes monitoring and management to a whole new level, which benefits the patients.