7. Dr. Jessica Mega, chief medical officer, Verily
Dr. Jessica Mega, is one of a string of top-notch scientists and physicians who decamped for Mountain View, California-based Alphabet and its life-sciences company, Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences). Google epitomizes Silicon Valley’s headfirst dive into healthcare, and Mega personifies what makes its nontraditionalist approach so compelling: building strong cross-functional teams.
"We try to get rid of friction between these teams," she told MM&M earlier this year. The company is also facilitating partnerships with traditional life-sciences companies looking to integrate early stage technologies into their pipelines, business processes, and product lines.
[We're concentrating on] the places where we think we can have the biggest impact on the detection, management, and prevention of disease
Dr. Jessica Mega, Verily
Dexcom, the A1C-testing firm, and Sanofi, which markets long-acting insulins Lantus and Toujeo and with whom Verily just spun out a new diabetes venture, number among its partners. They join Biogen, working with Verily in multiple sclerosis, and more recently GlaxoSmithKline, with which Verily started a nanotech-based startup.
Verily, Mega says, is concentrating on "the places where we think we can have the biggest impact on the detection, management, and prevention of disease."
––––––––––––––––––––––