Over 100 employees from multiple disciplines at Google ($GOOG) are working hard to make its vision of nanotechnology-enabled detection of cancer and other diseases a reality. Any tangible product resulting from this ambitious effort is at least 5 to 7 years away, but it is a big idea that will use swarm of nanoparticles, less than one-thousandth of the width of a red blood cell, which could each fasten onto a cell, protein or other molecule in the body. The company is also working on a wearable magnetic device that could retrieve the particles and collect the resulting data.This could translate into molecular diagnostics on a grand scale for signs of practically any disease state. It would enable early detection and potentially more effective treatment of these diseases."Every test you ever go to the doctor for will be done through this system," Andrew Conrad, head of the Life Sciences team at the Google X research lab, told The Wall Street Journal. "That's our dream." Researchers are officially unveiling the project at the newspaper's WSJD Live conference on Oct. 28.This latest scheme from Google X, the company's black-box, big-thinking research arm, is even more ambitious than the last life science project the company disclosed: an intraocular or contact "smart" lens to track glucose levels and potentially treat presbyopia, a condition associated with aging eyes. In July, Google X revealed a partnership with lens maker Alcon, a unit of Novartis ($NVS), to create this futuristic lens.Obstacles to nanotech disease detection are myriad and The Wall Street Journal details just a few, including identifying coatings to bind nanoparticles to specific types of cells; the number of nanoparticles necessary for accurate function; developing a wearable device that is small but doesn't need to be recharged often; whether a pill would provide possible delivery of the nanoparticles; as well as the potential regulatory and privacy concerns.Proving something along these lines safe and guaranteeing individual privacy regarding any use of the potential, highly detailed health data that would result seem almost unimaginable tasks. Another obvious issue is the high "ick factor" provoked by the idea of a swarm of nanotech detectives spying on you from within.In addition to the contact lens project and nanotech disease detection, Google X is also working on what it's dubbed the Baseline Study, which is trolling the urine, blood, saliva and tears of the 175 participants for novel biomarkers.