Google X has announced that it is working on a pill that would use nano-technology and magnetic particles to search your body to identify signs of diseases such as cancer. These nano-particles would be one thousandth of the width of a red blood cell, they will also be able to bind various molecules to identify trouble spots using some form of coating.

The Google X nano technology project would also require a wearable magnetic device in order to track the particles, the whole thing is at least five years off, according to The Wall Street Journal. The team behind the project are still working out how many nano particles will be necessary in order to identify signs of disease.

More than 100 Google scientists are working on the project, speaking at WSJD Live, one of them said “We're trying to stave off death by preventing disease. Fundamentally, our foe is death. Our foe is unnecessary death. Because we have the technology to intervene, and we should expend more energy and effort on it”.

Google will have some hurdles to jump in order to get this pill out there, the company will have to prove to the FDA that its method is safe and effecrive, it will also have to go through several clinical trials. The idea behind using nano technology is to catch cancer and other illnesses before it becomes too late to treat effectively.

Cancer cells often express proteins or sugars not found in healthy cells, a nano particle with a coating that could only bind it to cancerous cells would make for a very useful diagnostic tool. However, currently its hard to identify cancer specific proteins, Google also needs to develop a coating to allow the nano-particles to bind to unhealthy cells.

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KitGuru Says: Google is putting a heavy focus on improving the quality of life for all people and solving human problems. It's good to see the secretive X division making good progress. What do you guys think?

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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