DexCom, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology for those who suffer from diabetes, recently announced it has signed an agreement with the life sciences team at Google so that they can develop next-generation CGM products designed specifically to be smaller and much less expensive than the currently existing technologies.
The new products that are planned for development will integrate Google’s miniaturized electronics platform with DexCom’s proven sensor technology. This partnership also offers the opportunity to better use the data that is generated by CGM products in order to significantly improve health outcomes and reduce associated costs concerning diabetes care.
“This partnership has the potential to change the face of diabetes technology forever. Working together, we believe we can introduce products that will move us beyond our core Type 1 business to become the standard of care for all people living with diabetes,” noted Kevin Sayer, the Chief Executive Officer and President of DexCom.
Andrew Conrad, Google’s head of the life sciences team, added: “We’re committed to developing new technologies that will help move health care from reactive to proactive. This collaboration is another step towards expanding monitoring options and making it easier for people with diabetes to proactively manage their health.”
At first, the products will be designed to be smaller and cheaper by improving the cost and size of CGM body-worn parts, as they will be disposable and suitable for the entire diabetes market. The main objective is to empower people as much as possible to control their own diabetes. Specifically, researchers want to develop a small, low-cost, bandage-sized sensors that are connected to the cloud so that relevant data remains stored. The team believes this will be the next platform to replace finger sticks and the new standard of care.
DexCom will own all sales and all distribution rights concerning the products derived from this agreement. DexCom will also make an upfront payment and other milestone payments to Google ahead in other phases of development once the products are on the market.
