GlaxoSmithKline and Google's parent company are joining forces to develop bioelectronics, which involves targeting electrical signals in the body to fight chronic diseases.

The British pharmaceutical company and Alphabet's Verily Life Sciences, which was formally Google's life sciences division until last year, will together invest £540m over seven years in a new company, Galvani Bioelectronics.

The firm will research and develop bioelectronic medicines for commercial use.

Bioelectronics is a relatively new field and uses tiny devices implanted in the body which modify the electronic signals that pass along nerves to tackle chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, diabetes and asthma.

Initial work will focus on proving that these devices can counteract the irregular electronic impulses which are associated with diseases such as type two diabetes.


The technology is similar to that already used in pacemakers.

Kris Famm, GSK's head of bioelectronics research and president of Galvani, said the first bioelectronic medicines could be submitted for regulatory approval in around seven years.

"We have had really promising results in animal tests, where we've shown we can address some chronic diseases with this mechanism, and now we are bringing that work into the clinic," he said.

"Our goal is to have our first medicines ready for regulatory approval in seven years."

Galvani Bioelectronics will be based in Stevenage with a second research centre in San Francisco, and will employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians.

GSK will own 55% of the company and Alphabet will control the remaining 45%.

Google has long being trying to move beyond search engines into ambitious research projects, and the creation of parent company Alphabet last August was designed to allow it more freedom to explore these "moon shots".

Brian Otis, Verily's chief technology officer, said: "This is an ambitious collaboration allowing GSK and Verily to combine forces and have a huge impact on an emerging field.

"Bioelectronic medicine is a new area of therapeutic exploration, and we know that success will require the confluence of deep disease biology expertise and new highly miniaturised technologies.

"This partnership provides an opportunity to further Verily's mission by deploying our focused expertise in low power, miniaturised therapeutics and our data analytics engine to potentially address many disease areas with greater precision with the goal of improving outcomes."

It comes a week after GSK announced it was investing £275m to expand three of its UK drug manufacturing sites.

The new Business and Energy Secretary, Greg Clark, said: "This latest investment from GSK - just a week after their £275m commitment across the UK - is yet another significant victory for UK business and our global leadership in life sciences.

"This venture with Verily Life Sciences demonstrates the global appeal of our scientific expertise that is helping attract investment, grow the economy and pioneer technologies that could improve millions of lives."