Why Google Is Going All In On Diabetes - September 06, 2015 7:03 AM ET [View all]

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/06/437570402/why-google-is-going-all-in-on-diabetes

Millions of people with diabetes prick a finger more than five times a day to monitor their blood glucose levels. It's a painful and expensive process.

But now, Google's Life Sciences division is putting its immense resources behind new initiatives aimed at helping them better live with the disease.

"It's really hard for people to manage their blood sugar," said Jacquelyn Miller, a Google Life Sciences spokeswoman, in an interview with KQED. "We're hoping to take some of the guesswork out of it."

Earlier this week the new Google Life Sciences unit announced that diabetes is the company's first major disease target. It may come as a surprise that Google, a company that helps people search online for flights and restaurants and dabbles in other ventures like self-driving cars, is investing in new therapies to treat disease.