Apple hires biomedical engineers to develop sensors to treat diabetes

Apple Inc has hired a team of biomedical engineers in a secret initiative, initially envisioned by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, to develop sensors to treat diabetes, CNBC reported citing sources.

The engineers were expected to work at a little known office in Palo Alto, California, close to the corporate headquarters, according to the report.

The news comes as the fields of pharmaceuticals and technology converge and companies join hands to tackle chronic diseases using high-tech devices combining biology, software and hardware, and in the process, starting a new field of medicine called bioelectronics.

Last year, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Google's parent Alphabet Inc formed a joint company for marketing bioelectronic devices tyhar could be attached to individual nerves to fight illness.

US biotech firms Setpoint Medical and EnteroMedics Inc had already shown early benefits of bioelectronics in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and suppressing appetite in the obese.