Google Seeks Human Guinea Pigs to Understand the Health of the Human Body

Google is looking for guinea pigs to map out behaviors of the human body.

The organization's newest project aims to collect anonymous genetic and molecular information from various users in order to potentially improve the use of modern medicine.

"We are just asking the question: If we really wanted to be proactive, what would we need to know?" said lead study author, Dr. Andrew Conrad, via the Wall Street Journal. "You need to know what the fixed, well-running thing should look like."

The project, called Baseline Study, will be conducted by the company's "Google X wing" research team, who will collect data from 175 volunteers at Duke and Stanford Universities. Though this number may seem relatively small, Google hopes to dramatically expand the study sample size to include thousands more, in the future. 

Each of the study participants will be thoroughly examined by doctors, with samples from blood and saliva sequenced for DNA tests. A workup of genetic history, dietary habits, reactions to drugs, heart rate and other biological factors will also be collected and collated, according to The Guardian.

Conrad said the research team is hoping to discover certain biomarkers that could improve diagnostic testing for major illnesses.

"With any complex system, the notion has always been there to proactively address problems," Conrad added, via the WSJ. "That's not revolutionary. We are just asking the question: If we really wanted to be proactive, what would we need to know? You need to know what the fixed, well-running thing should look like."

As the initial pilot study will begin this summer, researchers said they are planning for a long-term basis project that could go on for 10 years or longer.