Google has been researching on a nanoparticle technology that could be used in the future to detect serious such as cancer. The nanoparticles would be swallowed, then controlled to monitor health issues and observed through an external device, Andrew Conrad, head of Google’s life sciences, said today at WSJDLive, a technology conference in Laguna Beach, California.

The Google X research lab team has teamed up with Novartis AG to develop sensor-enhanced contact lenses that aim to help people with diabetes more easily track their glucose levels, and last month agreed to buy health-technology startup Lift Labs as it pursues new methods to address neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

"We’re trying to stave off death by preventing disease," Conrad said.

However, Google has not yet managed to fully succeed in the debvelopment of the nanoparticle, and is seeking for partners to work with on it.
Conrad said that the company has been able to "functionalize" the nanoparticles, such as using them to find a few cancer cells among a million normal ones, he said.

While there is still much work to be done, he said, "we would definitely hope that it’s years, not decades, until this is deployed."