Google Expands Biotech Investment With Life Labs Buy

Google Inc.

acquired Life Labs, a maker of a self-stabilizing spoon for patients with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. https://plus.google.com/100524715026356408787/posts/7BrxcW4ovua Terms weren't disclosed but the company employs five engineers and scientists in San Francisco. Previous investors included the National Institutes of Health and the venture capital fund Rock Health. Life Labs will become part of Google's Life Sciences, which is a part of Google X, the company's long-term projects unit. Life Lab's spoon product is designed to make eating easier for people with hand tremors. It's been launched and is being sold directly to patients. The company is also actively developing future products. Google X's Calico unit last week announced a collaboration with AbbVie

to develop a research and development facility in the San Francisco area that will focus on drug discovery and development for age-related diseases. http://abbvie.mediaroom.com/2014-09-03-AbbVie-And-Calico-Announce-A-Novel-Collaboration-To-Accelerate-The-Discovery-Development-And-Commercialization-Of-New-Therapies AbbVie and Calico will each initially provide up to $250 million to fund the collaboration with the potential for both sides to contribute an additional $500 million.