 its considerable computing prowess to mine the vast streams of data collected as part of the study.
Dr. Andrew Conrad, a molecular biologist now working for Google X, is leading the Baseline Study. An unnamed clinical testing company has already selected participants for the pilot study and collected preliminary data on bodily fluids, The Wall Street Journal reported. The researchers plan to sequence the participants' genomes, too.
The study participants will monitor themselves using a number of wearable devices, including a smart contact lens, also developed by Google X, which can track glucose levels in tears. The company's research arm is also developing other devices that could measure heart rate and other vital signs.
Following the pilot study, Google plans to conduct a larger study with thousands of participants in conjunction with Stanford University and Duke University.
It's unlikely that the study will lead to immediate treatments and cures for diseases, Conrad said, but he expects the project will contribute to medical advances in small increments.
The prospect of a company as powerful as Google having access to so much personal health information naturally raises concerns about what the company plans to do with the data. For example, if insurance companies were to get their hands on it, they could use it to deny health insurance to people who may be at risk of developing certain diseases.
Google representatives said the health information collected in the study will be anonymous, and won't be shared with insurance companies. Institutional review boards will monitor the study, and researchers at the clinics that recruit participants, who are not employed by Google, will remove any identifying information from the data before the search company will be able to access it.
Taioli said she doesn't foresee problems with the misuse of the data by insurers. In addition, participation would be voluntary, so all participants could decide whether to accept or reject the privacy conditions, she said.
"The real issue is whether the information collected and the results will be shared with the participant," Taioli said. If the researchers offer their participants information that allows the early detection of preventable diseases, there could be a significant advantage for taking part, she said.
Taioli recommended that the study include not only genetic and molecular measures, but also behavioral ones, such as people's physical activity or diet.