Online disease monitoring program gets boost from $100,000 grant

Online disease monitoring program gets boost from $100,000 grant

Doctor Larry Brilliant's idea for developing an online disease monitoring program to detect early signs of emerging diseases picked up steam thanks to a $100,000 grant. Brilliant, who was recently named Google's new philanthropy director, was one of the recipients of the 2006 TED Prize during the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conference in Monterey, CA, last week. The $100,000 is a small chunk of the estimated $10 million it will likely take to get the project, tentatively called the International Networked System for Total Early Disease Protection, off the ground. Several companies, including Google and Sun Microsystems, have expressed interest in helping the organization, and Brilliant wants to link the group to the existing Canadian government group Global Public Health Intelligence Network, according to the Wall Street Journal.