Google sets up new healthcare company

Google has announced the creation of Calico – a new company that will focus on health and well-being, with particular focus on the challenge of aging and associated diseases.

Heading up the new company as CEO is Arthur D. Levinson, who is the former CEO of Genentech. He will continue his positions as Chairman of Genentech and a director of Hoffmann-La Roche, as well as Chairman of Apple.

"Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives. It's impossible to imagine anyone better than Art — one of the leading scientists, entrepreneurs and CEOs of our generation — to take this new venture forward."

Larry Page, Google CEO.

"I've devoted much of my life to science and technology, with the goal of improving human health. Larry's focus on outsized improvements has inspired me, and I'm tremendously excited about what's next."

Arthur D. Levinson, Calico's new CEO.

Calico will run separately from Google, but the world's largest internet search company has not provided any other details yet about where it will be based or how many employees it will have.