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Last year, Google X announced it would be working on a smart contact lens that could keep track of glucose levels. Google

Google is making a big move to help treat diabetes

A new partnership sees it developing new technology that will help treat diabetes.

GOOGLE ANNOUNCED ITS plans to reorganize under the name Alphabet just three weeks ago.

Since then, it’s wasted no time getting its life sciences unit graduated from under Google X and prepped to join Alphabet as a standalone company.

Today, Google Life Sciences entered a partnership with Sanofi, a European pharmaceutical company, to develop technologies to treat diabetes.

The partnership reinforces Google Life Sciences interest in the disease. In the past, Google has started working on technology such as contact lenses that monitor glucose levels to find ways to make living with the disease easier.

Diabetes affects 371 million people worldwide, a number that’s expected to increase to 552 million by 2030.

Paris-based Sanofi has been a leader in diabetes treatments. It currently makes a number of insulin medications along with devices to administer them.

Sanofi said in a news release that it’s interested in Google’s “analytics, miniaturized electronics and low power chip design.” Google has been developing smart contact lenses — a project that was announced back in January 2014 — that include a glucose monitor to keep track of blood sugar levels in the body.

This sounds like handy technology for a company that mainly sticks with treatments to administer insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows your body to use the sugar (or glucose) in the food you eat.

This isn’t Google Life Sciences’ first partnership with a major pharmaceutical company: They’ve been partnering with Novartis eye care division to make smart contact lenses, and Biogen to develop technologies to treat multiple sclerosis.

“With Sanofi, we can complete the picture of how diabetes unfolds and try to interrupt that development through a proactive and preventive approach,” Life Sciences’ CEO Andy Conrad told the Wall Street Journal.

The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the partnership.

-Lydia Ramsey

Read: There’s a major downside to jailbreaking your iPhone (if you’re thinking about it) >

Read: This smartphone chip could be a big help in the fight against bad apps >

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    Oct 24th 2018, 9:42 AM

    I SAID SUPPLIES !!!

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    Oct 24th 2018, 10:51 AM

    @Tom Harpur Photography: ok who hasnt thought about stabbing a co worker at sone stage? At least we dont have to see them 24/7

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    Oct 24th 2018, 12:30 PM

    @prop joe:let me know where you work…..just in case :)

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    Oct 24th 2018, 1:54 PM

    @Tom Harpur Photography: No doubt guarded by armed penguins…

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    Oct 24th 2018, 9:04 AM

    A game of knifey spoony gone wrong…

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    Oct 24th 2018, 9:31 AM

    with the cold spell earlier this year- orphelia/ I saw enough of the teenage kids to last me a lifetime…luckily Netflix was working

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    I’m surprised the journal.ie didn’t blame Trump for this.

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    Oct 24th 2018, 1:01 PM

    @paul jones: no …it was to do with brexit

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    Fighting over the last can of beer and what to watch on tv

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    I can see it now ” if you play that Barry Manilow album one more time”

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    Oct 24th 2018, 9:50 AM

    Why is this article here?

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    Oct 24th 2018, 10:26 AM

    @Kermit: why are you here?

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    Oct 24th 2018, 10:30 AM

    @John: Who are you?

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    Oct 24th 2018, 1:56 PM

    @Kermit: Because it is part of the new cold war…

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    You farted ,, no you farted , no you farted ,, no you farted

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    Oct 25th 2018, 9:04 AM

    I said “sack the cook”

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