Google Champions AI Innovations for Health and Drug Discovery

Google recently provided a significant update on its initiatives to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for advancing the field of science and building innovative products, during its Check Up event.

In a statement shared through a blog post, Google’s chief health officer, Dr. Karen DeSalvo, highlighted that since the introduction of AI Overviews last year, users have experienced increased satisfaction with their search results, often posing more complex inquiries.

AI Overviews, which are visible in Google search results, aim to furnish users with general information on their queries from a variety of sources while directing them to relevant web pages.

Dr. DeSalvo mentioned, ‘With recent health-focused advancements on Gemini models, we continue to enhance AI Overviews on healthcare topics, ensuring they are more relevant, comprehensive, and uphold a high standard of clinical factuality.’

Furthermore, Google announced the global launch of new medical records APIs within Health Connect. These APIs facilitate applications to both read and write medical record information, such as allergies, medications, immunizations, and lab results in compliance with the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard.

This initiative means that Health Connect now accommodates over 50 data types encompassing activity, sleep, nutrition, vitals, and medical records.

In recent developments, Dr. DeSalvo indicated that the company secured FDA clearance for its Pulse Detection feature available on the Pixel Watch 3. This feature can identify a loss of pulse resulting from cardiac arrest, respiratory or circulatory failure, overdose, or poisoning, and it automatically prompts a call to emergency services.

This feature is currently operational in 14 countries and is expected to roll out in the U.S. by the end of March.

Additionally, Google unveiled an AI co-scientist, powered by Gemini 2.0, aimed at assisting biomedical researchers in formulating novel hypotheses and crafting research plans. This system is designed to help analyze extensive scientific literature and generate high-quality, innovative research ideas.

Dr. DeSalvo elaborated, ‘For example, if researchers aspire to grasp the spread of a disease-causing microbe, they can articulate this research objective using natural language, and the AI co-scientist will generate testable hypotheses, including a summary of relevant published literature and a potential experimental approach.’

The collaborative nature of this tool intends to empower experts in discovering new insights and expedite their research endeavors.

She noted, ‘We are already collaborating with partners such as Imperial College London, Houston Methodist, and Stanford University, and the excitement surrounding this tool is palpable. We’ve had considerable interest in our forthcoming trusted tester program.’

Moreover, Google has introduced TxGemma, a collection of Gemma-based open models designed to enhance the efficiency of AI-powered drug discovery. Dr. DeSalvo stated, ‘The journey of developing therapeutic drugs from concept to approval is lengthy and costly. Therefore, we are keen to collaborate with the broader research community to identify innovative ways to streamline this developmental process.’

TxGemma possesses the capability to interpret standard language and the structures of various therapeutic entities, encompassing small molecules, chemicals, and proteins, allowing researchers to pose inquiries that can predict vital properties of potential therapies, such as their safety and efficacy.

Lastly, Google’s engagement with the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in the Netherlands has led to the creation of an AI tool named Capricorn. This tool leverages Gemini models to assist doctors in quickly identifying personalized cancer treatments by merging extensive public medical data with de-identified patient information.

According to Dr. DeSalvo, Capricorn efficiently summarizes treatment options and pertinent medical literature, enabling physicians to conduct thorough discussions aimed at achieving the best health outcomes for their pediatric patients.

The Larger Trend

Earlier this year, in February, Google announced a partnership with the Institute of Women’s Cancers, initiated by France’s renowned cancer research and treatment facility, Institut Curie. The partnership seeks to explore how AI tools can address cancer, disseminate science-based health information, and support funding for postdoctoral researchers.

This alliance, revealed at the France AI Action Summit, merges Institut Curie’s expertise in research and medicine with Google’s advanced AI capabilities.

Additionally, primary care booking platform Healthengine has collaborated with Google to introduce a new booking pathway. The Reserve with Google feature allows patients to book appointments directly from a practice’s Google Business profile through search.