Google to Break Ground on Life-Prolonging Research Facility Google-backed biotech company Calico has also forged a partnership with a Chicago-based biopharmaceutical firm to develop age-defying drugs.

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Roughly one year after tendering a founding investment in biotech company Calico, Google is breaking ground on a brand new Bay Area research facility with a lofty life-prolonging aim.

To this end, Calico has also forged a partnership with a Chicago-based biopharmaceutical company called AbbVie, in order to develop drugs that will tackle aging and age-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. A forthcoming state-of-the-art research and development center will house this secretive and vastly experimental work.

Each company will contribute between $250 million and $1.5 billion in funding, according to a press release. The affiliation will call for Google-backed Calico's far-out findings, spearheaded over the next five years, to be eventually tested for commercial viability by AbbVie. "Both parties will share costs and profits equally," the companies said.

Related: If You Could, Would You Want to Live Forever? Google Thinks You Might

"Last fall, [Google co-founder] Larry Page and I announced Calico, a new company designed to take the long-term view on aging and illness," wrote Calico chief executive Arthur Levinson in a Google+ post announcing the collaboration yesterday. "Our goal is to make progress on a very basic challenge: how to help people stay healthier for longer."

Levinson, who also serves as Apple's chairman of the board, created Calico alongside Google's Page, who notably suffers from a rare nerve condition that affects his ability to speak.

Calico is by no means Google's only stab into the health-care sector. Despite expressing reservations in regards to entering the heavily regulated space, the company has begun collecting anonymous genetic information from 175 volunteers in order to build a perfect model of human health. The Baseline Study, as the project is called, is part of the company's "moonshot" division, Google X.

Related: Google Wants to Build a Model of Perfect Human Health

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

'Please Fix This': Elon Musk Frantically Emails Employees During Livestream Glitch

Musk attempted to livestream his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Business News

Katy Perry Is Fighting the Founder of 1-800-Flowers for a $15 Million California Mansion He Doesn't Want to Sell Her

The eight-bedroom, 11-bathroom estate sits on nearly nine acres in the Santa Ynez foothills in Montecito.

Business News

These NYC Roommates Created a Fake Restaurant and Accidentally Garnered a 2,000-Person Waitlist — So They Opened a Pop-up for Real.

The Gen Z'ers dubbed their apartment "Mehran's Steak House" on Google Maps during the pandemic.

Leadership

A Guide to Effective Crisis Leadership — Key Steps to Lead Your Team Through Turbulent Times

The essential strategies and skills required to be a successful crisis leader and guide your organization through difficult times.

Personal Finance

5 Entrepreneurial Mindset Principles That Empower Financial Literacy

Adopting the right mindset is key to financial literacy. Follow these five guiding principles to enhance your understanding of wealth creation and growth.