Google's Alphabet and GSK Forge $715 Million Bioelectronic Firm To Fight Diseases Without Meds (reuters.com) 27
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Google parent Alphabet's life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a novel field of medicine called bioelectronics. Verily Life Sciences -- known as Google's life sciences unit until last year -- and Britain's biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million pounds ($715 million) over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said on Monday. The new company, owned 55 percent by GSK and 45 percent by Verily, will be based at GSK's Stevenage research center north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. Galvani will develop miniaturized, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. GSK believes chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be treated using these tiny devices, which consist of a electronic collar that wraps around nerves. Kris Famm, GSK's head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said the first bioelectronic medicines using these implants to stimulate nerves could be submitted for regulatory approval by around 2023. GSK first unveiled its ambitions in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins.
Will a subscription model apply? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
No, but you will have to sync your device with your google account so that they can find out which ad excites you and which doesn't.
Re: Will a subscription model apply? (Score:3)
It will be ad-supported. "Other people with nerve impulses like yours bought Daz Automatic".
if it sounds like a duck .... (Score:4, Interesting)
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Dont worry. It will go through FDA approval unlike the bogus medical devices in snake-oil museums. It would be like any other FDA approved procedure.
There are tablet and medicines displayed in those museums too, I dont see you being skeptical of modern day tablets and medicines.
All your attention are belong to us, the google (Score:2)
Each and EVERY time I see one of these feel-good stories about the google I just remember that their basic business model is to rape my personal information for THEIR profit. Any "free" service they offer is just a pittance on their profits from abusing my privacy.
There are alternatives, but if any business with an alternative economic model became an actual threat, you can be certain that EVERY company like the google that is firmly committed to abusing YOUR privacy would combine their resources to crush i
Quick question (Score:2)
Okay, admittedly I'm not a doctor, so can someone answer a quick question for me?
With what conceivable mechanism would electrical stimulation of nerves help with the management of chronic diabetes?
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http://www.innovateli.com/study-big-news-vagus-pioneer-tracey/ [innovateli.com]
Vagus Nerve Stimulation going to be big money (Score:3)
The fun part is you can already do the treatment without electrical stimulation, but it may be better to have clear testable scenarios.
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https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=vns&Search=Search [clinicaltrials.gov]
Shades of ... (Score:1)
I don't have the vagus recollection... (Score:2)
Scientist 1: Well that didn't work.
Scientist 2: *sniff* You smell something?