September 11, 2014
By Mark Terry, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
Google Inc. announced Wednesday that it has acquired San Francisco-based Lift Labs for an undisclosed amount as it doubles down on biotech.
Lift Labs is a medical technology and device company that manufactures a vibrating spoon and fork that makes it easier for individuals with tremors, like those seen in Parkinson’s disease, easier to eat.
The Lift Labs products, Liftware, retails for $295. It was developed with assistance from an NIH grant.
This follows recent news that a Google startup, Calico, had signed a collaboration agreement with pharmaceutical company AbbVie . Calico is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on drug development to deal with age-related illnesses, including neurodegeneration and cancer. The Lift Labs acquisition is an expansion into medical hardware, as opposed to drug R&D, but does emphasize Google’s continued expansion into the healthcare arena.
Lift Labs will join Google X’s Life Sciences team. Other health technology-related investments included sensor-enhanced contact lenses to help diabetic patients monitor their glucose levels.
“We’re also going to explore how their technology could be used in other ways to improve the understanding and management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor,” said Google in a statement.
The Liftware device utilizes a small onboard computer that detects and counteracts hand tremors. A spoon or other utensil attaches to one end. The company plans to develop other attachments, such as a key holder.
Lift Lab’s founder Anupam Pathak noted that they can envision a wide assortment of hand-held devices, including makeup applicators and handheld tools. “Once you start to lose the ability to function independently, there’s a huge emotional toll,” he said.
University of Michigan neurology professor Kelvin Chou, who has worked with Lift Labs on their technology, noted in a New York Times blog that the uses for assistance technology are varied and helpful.
“A lot of social interaction revolves around eating,” said Chou. “It’s embarrassing for them, and they feel like people are watching them all the time. I’ve had patients say ‘Someone came up to me and said I should stop drinking.’ Things like that.”
In the United States, there are between 50,000 and 60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosed each year. It is the 14th leading cause of death in the U.S., and afflicts approximately four to six million people worldwide. PD is a neurodegenerative brain disorders that progresses slowly and affects the brain cells that produce dopamine.
Essential Tremor (ET) is a separate disorder and typically presents as a bilateral tremor of hand and forearm. It can occur at any age, though it usually shows up in the mid-teens or between the ages of 50 and 65. Approximately half of ET patients have a family history of the condition. Treatments for Parkinson’s tremors are not effective for ET.
