Amazon is reportedly trying to find a cure for the common cold

Amazon disrupted book, grocery and shipping activities and is now focusing on viral infections. The technology company apparently instructed a team of employees to investigate a cure for the common cold, a CNBC report indicates today. Under the heading ‘Project Gesundheit’, three people who are familiar with the effort at CNBC tell that Amazon is specifically looking for a vaccine that can prevent cold infections. This small team consists of the wider Grand Challenge group within Amazon, says CNBC.

Making a cold vaccine is particularly difficult because there are so many strains and the viruses can mutate over time to develop vaccine or drug resistance. Even with the flu, the annual vaccine only protects against the tensions that scientists believe will occur especially in a particular year.

Grand Challenge assesses larger issues that may affect humanity, especially in healthcare, and is run by Babak Parviz, who previously led Alphabet’s research and development efforts. Amazon has focused on the medical industry as an area for growth. The company purchased online pharmacy startup PillPack and announced plans to sell software that will read medical records. The Alexa assistant now also gives people access to their medical information. A cold vaccine or other solution would be different from Amazon’s previous efforts in space, but would also be a monumental development for people around the world if it were successful.