Google continued to branch out into the the Health space with investment in a project to sequence the DNA of 100,000 people. The research project will provide valuable data to the scientific community by helping to isolate the genetic factors involved with a variety of diseases. This type of information can lead to faster drug development and better treatment through the arrival of truly personalized medicine. I am sure the incentive behind the investment is more philanthropic then financial, but it doesn’t hurt to have a hand in this project considering Google’s past investment in Personal Genome Service 23andMe. The results of this research is exactly the type of data that 23andMe requires to expand its capabilities. There were some initial reservations about the relevance of Google’s interest in 23andMe due to Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google president Sergey Brin, being the co-founder. However, the 23andMe service would fit perfectly as an offering in Google Health. Expect to see Google continue both its financial and philanthropic Health investments to gain further leverage in the industry.

Google Backs Harvard Scientist’s 100,000-Genome Quest

Google Invests In DNA Sequencing Project

Google Health Service Enters Pilot Stage

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Google launched a pilot for its health profile service, Google Health, in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. The clinic already has a sophisticated internal electronics record system, but patients are not able to access their records remotely. Patients will request to have their records uploaded to Google Health and will be able to access their records online and view, print, or share that data with other health providers. Microsoft launched their health profile offering, HealthVault, last October. The electronic health profile space is going to be a hot topic in the upcoming years. Today Hospitals, Doctor Offices, and Pharmacies have advanced internal systems, but are still disconnected despite major advances in web technology. Offices still fax records and mail imaging results back and forth. Often the quickest and most reliable method for transferring records is to have the patient physically carry the records to each location. The lack of portability is in part due to an industry with many competing software developers that don’t work to connect their technology platforms. Google and Microsoft have an opportunity make a major impact on this industry and the lives of millions of people if they can put the patient in front of profit. Both are members of the DataPortability alliance, and though that organization is primarily focused on portability of online identity, hopefully some of the same sentiment is seen in these health services. By cooperating to connect their offerings they can lead the way on an industry standard for portable health information. They can then put combined pressure on the smaller software vendors to incorporate the standard into their products. The government also needs to get involved by updating HIPAA and providing new standards for patient privacy without stifling innovation. Patients deserve a system that allows easy access to the information that belongs to them and delivers better care at reduced costs.

Previous Google Health coverage
Microsoft launches HealthVault

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Google Sponsors a $30 Million Dollar X Prize to land a robotic rover on the moon and transmit data back to earth. The first team to accomplish the feat gets $20 million and the second team $5 million. Additional prizes are available for visiting historic landing sites or accomplishing other tasks. This is just the latest in a growing number of X prizes that offer substantial rewards for advances in science and technology. The rewards help to jump start interest in technology that can help shape our future. Similar rewards helped spur innovation at the turn of the 20th century. The $25,000 Orteig prize encouraged Charles Lindbergh to make his flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

A Google Competition
The X Prize Ecosystem
X Prize Foundation

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Google has just released a new version of their online apps suite called Team Edition. It compliments the current Enterprise, Education/Non-Profit, and Free editions by allowing members of an organization to collaborate together without their entire company signing up for the service. Employees simply verify their email address and they will be able to share and work together using Google Docs, Calendar, Talk, and Start Page. Students can also add their school email address to get access to the team edition features. The whole verification process would be similar to adding a network on Facebook. This is a great way for Google to get a back door into a company and may lead to more businesses paying for the Enterprise version. The requirement to verify an email address is an attempt to appease corporate IT managers worried about security. It is doubtful large corporations will be embracing the service anytime soon, but many small and medium sized operations may find benefit in free collaboration tools while maintaining local control of their email services. However, the requirement to verify email addresses limits the utility of Google Apps for cross company teams, and projects that consist of consultants and employees from multiple companies. It would not be surprising to see Google drop this requirement in the future when everyone becomes a little more comfortable with the idea of cloud computing.

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