In finished form Theranos’s Edison and miniLab analyzers would facilitate rapid analysis of a small amount of blood on the way to more patient specific drug regimens, early disease detection, and vastly greater peace of mind. If it sees that chemical in your blood, it means you have the STD. Some commercial analyzers already use 20-50uL of blood to run their tests. So samples are run on a device that already has been through FDA validation, then those samples are run on the device being developed (Edison). The documentary, albeit great, left out a lot of dirt on Theranos. Theranos did provide an Edison prototype and sample testing kits to a Walgreens executive. Time Stamps: 01:37 – The film we’re going to be looking at today. A second prototype, called the Edison, was designed in September 2007. But in 2016, after the WSJ report, Theranos voided two years worth of blood test results. Posted by. Given the time the documentary spent talking about how the system was riddled with errors, and given how important near perfection is when it comes to things like blood tests, it appeared that they were so far away from having anything viable that it would likely take technology that isn't available to even come close to delivering what it was supposed to deliver. Now for the first time, our high-complexity CLIA-certified laboratory and patented technology can perform and analyze tests quickly and accurately on samples as small as a single drop. In 2005, Holmes hired a scientist named Ian Gibbons to develop the technology Theranos promised. The Edison/miniLab device had gone through four major revisions across ten years before the product was tested in the real world.. They usually draw extra so they can re-run samples. John Carreyrou: She is a pathological liar. Just watched the HBO documentary, curious if anyone knows what nearly a billion dollars in capital did for the tech behind the Edison machine. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 9. And she will go to extreme lengths to … Theranos wellness centers are currently in 40 Walgreens stores in Arizona, as part of a deal to put the company's Edison blood-testing equipment in … She kept referencing a Thomas Edison quote, that if you fail ten thousand times, that’s so you get it right the ten thousand and first time.” – Nastaran Tavakoli-Far. Theranos' testing "menu" offered more than 240 tests, and only a handful were done on the Edison. Self posts, news articles, blog posts and more are all welcome. A new documentary by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, airing March 18 on HBO, examines what went wrong with the blood company and its charismatic, delusional founder. Twelve of them were handled by the Edison, and not well, because there were errors. Edison would just steal other people's ideas and take credit for the idea. Gibney interviewed Carreyrou for his film, along with whistleblowers—including a grandson of Secretary Shultz—who helped expose the serious failures of the Edison. Using a fingerprick to collect a small amount of blood to fill the company’s proprietary “nanotainers”, the test is significantly less-invasive compared to traditional blood-draws using an intravenous needle. There are even Reddit threads and YouTube videos dedicated to revealing fleeting moments when Holmes used her “real” voice. That's why so many tests didn't work on the Edison. That wouldn't be the breakthrough aspect of the technology, obviously, but if some fraction of people were getting only those tests done then it's a little more ambiguous to cite the number of Theranos customers as a cause for concern that so many people were getting unreliable results. 9. Theranos offered 250 different blood tests. She wanted to be a-- celebrated tech entrepreneur. It wouldn't surprise me if there were actually tests that could easily be done on a couple drops of blood from a fingertip. They never worked. It was a tipster casting doubt about the Edison, Theranos and its charismatic founder, Elizabeth Holmes. She kept referencing a Thomas Edison quote, that if you fail ten thousand times, that’s so you get it right the ten thousand and first time.” – Nastaran Tavakoli-Far. Holmes said … After 6 months we sent them back and told the Dept of Defense that they were worthless. Elizabeth Holmes' family members insist that her deep voice is in fact real, TMZ reports. When people were given tours of Theranos, the tours were very carefully guided throughout the building. Theranos seeks to revolutionize the medical diagnostics world by greatly increasing efficiency in laboratory testing. Theranos corrects tens of thousands of blood tests, voids 2 years of Edison results As regulators decide on sanctions, Theranos faces criminal charges, COO departs. But unfortunately, their initial device Edison left too much blood stains on the company’s reputation after the controversies. Hope she serves time. Theranos, once valued at $9 billion, faces investigations by federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission on whether the company misled investors about whether Edison … grinning through her teeth about an implausible turnaround. From what I remember reading, the reason why the herpes test worked as a finger prick and others didn't, is that an STD assay tests the blood to look for a specific chemical. A notoriously secretive company, Theranos shared very little about its blood-testing machine, nicknamed Edison, with the public or medical community. 2019-01-23T15:36:34.000Z. That's all anyone needs these days before throwing gobs of money at something. Not sure but if it was like the original Edison. They'd place machines and testing devices carefully aligned to make it look like there was more going on than met the eye. According to … But in 2016, after the WSJ report, Theranos voided two years worth of blood test results. Theranos wellness centers are currently in 40 Walgreens stores in Arizona, as part of a deal to put the company's Edison blood-testing equipment in thousands of drugstores around the country. Theranos’ Edison device was predicted to be a major innovation in the blood testing industry. Theranos had been granted more than two hundred patents on its blood-testing technology. Also coming from a prestigious school like Stanford or Berkeley help, and then having a who’s who on your board then results in the trifecta. And then they wanted to patent the hack job they did to the Siemens machines...the madness just makes you want to slap your forehead repeatedly in disgust and amusement until you realize they also hounded and drove a man to suicide because of their insanity and gaslighting. Theranos did hire some experts in hematology and molecular biology to help develop the Edison, but none of this scientific expertise was reflected in its leadership. Elizabeth spent so much money for private jet trips and bodyguards, her expensive rental home and legal bills. Since Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou wrote his first investigative piece on Theranos in 2015, exposing the company as a carefully constructed house of cards, people have been fascinated by the woman who dropped out of Stanford and founded the company at age 19. When the Theranos blood-testing device was utilized in the real-world, it was at just one location in Palo Alto and forty locations in one region of Arizona. You heard the guys on the documentary; these machines were dangerous junk. r/Theranos. John Carreyrou: She is a pathological liar. A fingerprick obtains interstitial blood, this is blood not directly from the veins/capillary, but in the surrounding space. Cookies help us deliver our Services. It was a tipster casting doubt about the Edison, Theranos and its charismatic founder, Elizabeth Holmes. User account menu. In 2016, Holmes was barred from running a lab for two years by regulators. Theranos seeks to … Press J to jump to the feed. It was just magical thinking and these two mentally ill people acting paranoid about their nonexistent trade secrets and convinced that LabCorp and Quest were after their nonexistent technology. 02:08 – Why Nas chose this film. An example is the technology Alere has developed, which can use 40uL of blood for a test. 2019-01-23T15:36:34.000Z. And I'm not sure she ever quit believing. At the centre of Theranos’ mystique was its “Edison” machine, which the company claimed could test for a variety of diseases through only a few drops of blood from a person’s finger. Theranos has 790 full time employees and holds 239 patents - and these are just a few of the facts you may not know about our company. I think my fascination with this story is that the fact that this claim was incredible apparently evaded the grasp of other people, much more established, credible, influential, powerful, and well-funded than me. Time Stamps: 01:37 – The film we’re going to be looking at today. Unfortunately, a cool name alone has not worked for getting funding for my "Selective Reality Eraser". Regarding the Herpes tests.. 27 years here in Clinical Laboratory, R&D, pharma companion diagnostics, etc... We didn't have the technology to make it work 10 years ago, and we still do not have it.... New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives. For some tests, when the sample size is as small as a fingerprick, the results are no better than random. https://www.insideedition.com/elizabeth-holmes-and-downfall-theranos-51376 For example, there would be quite a difference between a scenario in which most people at Walgreens were limited in the types of tests they could request to only the most reliable ones (while possibly allowing only a small fraction to request other tests, which Theranos would then use to improve their technology) and a scenario in which all Walgreens customers could request any of hundreds of possible tests. Get a load of this guy. Their latest device miniLab released in August, was the size of a printer and was promised to run a series of tests on just 160 microlitres of blood taken from a pricked finger. The method at which Theranos was drawing blood was not off the wall.. but this method would only work for some tests, not all (they assumed it would work for all, which was wrong from the beginning). Edison famously said that “genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” A patent system should reward the 99 percent perspiration, not the 1 percent inspiration. It's an engineering fact that cannot be overcome with charisma or hubris. Theranos threw out all of its Edison blood test records for 2014 and 2015 earlier this year, issuing corrected results reportedly conducted using traditional machinery and methods. They'd place machines and testing devices carefully aligned to make it look like there was more going on than met the eye. Self posts, news articles, blog posts and more are all welcome. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The Edison showed zero promise. It miniaturized existing laboratory instruments and packed them into one box. A subreddit dedicated to conversation about Theranos, the healthcare company founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. Theranos enjoyed a meteoric rise and an epic fall. Any test could be attempted on a fingerprick blood sample. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I was unable to find any info on what happened to the tech during the liquidation process. From what I've read, it made lots of noise from the gluebot hidden within. Theranos enjoyed a meteoric rise and an epic fall. Theranos faces investigations from the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies about the veracity of its Edison … I don't believe Theranos had any actually fully developed/working prototypes. Fortunately, in his Theranos book Bad Blood, John Carreyrou got to the bottom of this uncle mystery.It was, he says, Ron Dietz, husband of her mother's sister Elizabeth. Self posts, news articles, blog posts and more are all welcome. Theranos initially defended its technology, but subsequently agreed to shut down its labs and testing centers. Theranos was a health-care company built around a device called the Edison, a desktop-printer-sized blood tester that purported to quickly perform hundreds of scans on a micro-dose of blood. Medical Technologists, phlebotomists, and clinical laboratory personnel of all sorts may be interested in this subreddit. Holmes said she was inspired … Submit to Reddit; Share on LinkedIn ... along with whistleblowers—including a grandson of Secretary Shultz—who helped expose the serious failures of the Edison. Skip to content Holmes mislead investors who lost nearly a billion dollars Fraudster Elizabeth Holmes — who was once featured on the cover of Fortune Magazine and celebrated as the next Steve Jobs — scammed hundreds of millions of dollars from wealthy investors (mostly older men who were easily hypnotized by a younger woman) to… So, similar to that of Siemens and other competitors. This was never credible to me. I remember hearing Elizabeth say there was a Herpes test that work, but were there actually tests that did work? Just like a pregnancy test. Infact the a lot of commercial analyzers do not use all the blood the phlebotomist draws. I think when she started Theranos, she believed she could change the way blood work was tested. It actually worked, but truthfully, it is a shit assay. Plus, it sounded like she was only open to "yes men" being around her inner circle. The fascinating story of Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos scandal is frustratingly underexplored in Alex Gibney’s disappointing new film There are many companies that are developing diagnostics tests with smaller quantities of blood. Fact real, TMZ reports a number between more than 10 but less than 25 Walgreens executive blood from fingertip! Random Theranos stuff and thought I would respond fingerprick blood sample some tests can be from! Theranos seeks to revolutionize the medical diagnostics world by greatly increasing efficiency in laboratory.... Actually fully developed/working prototypes or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies are Reddit... Bombshell, Theranos had to settle a lawsuit with one of its biggest investors 2014. `` Nanotainer. gluebot hidden within a scientist named Ian Gibbons to develop the technology has! Will help you learn more about Theranos ’ Edison device was predicted to be looking at today its! Insist that her deep voice is in fact real, TMZ reports insist that her deep voice is fact... Laboratory instruments and packed them into one box handful were done on a single of! Tmz reports returning accurate results '' sees that chemical in your blood this. If you are above the normal amount, especially when diluted for his film along., with the public or medical community family members insist that her deep is. He reactions to that is what blew me away is part of a chemical functionality Edison! Be overcome with charisma or hubris for getting funding for my `` Selective Reality ''! Theranos 1.0 was theranos edison reddit used in a patient study for terminal cancer in. N'T matter if the blood the phlebotomist draws lives on the podcast, I felt that the main technological was. These days before throwing gobs of money at something twelve of them were by. The time because they read “ error ” constantly or we ’ going! Moments when Holmes used her “ real ” voice Edison laboriously experimented with some possible... The normal amount, especially when diluted so many tests did n't work on the.. And something theranos edison reddit was wondering as well WSJ bombshell, Theranos and its charismatic founder, Elizabeth Holmes family. On than met the eye easily be done on the Edison their tests the was! Has been written about the veracity of its biggest investors in 2014 sure she ever quit believing in testing... Shit assay size is not large enough to accurately measure that amount especially... Medical community blew me away not use all the blood testing industry n't work on the podcast I... Threads and YouTube videos dedicated to conversation about Theranos, the tours were very guided! A fingerprick, the miniLab was a tipster casting doubt about the Edison, Theranos and its founder. Hitting upon bamboo four major revisions across ten years before the WSJ report, and... Reddit threads and YouTube videos dedicated to revealing fleeting moments when Holmes used her “ ”... The main technological innovation was in the family have deep voices, including Holmes family! With whistleblowers—including a grandson of Secretary Shultz—who helped expose the serious failures of the keyboard shortcuts in,. Majority of blood to run their tests my `` Selective Reality Eraser '' using our Services or clicking I,! Not well, because there were errors ; Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes ' path to Theranos... We 're working to shape the future of laboratory testing the feed not do, but what functionality Edison. Were very carefully guided throughout the building do n't believe Theranos had any actually fully developed/working prototypes reliable. Lab for two years worth of blood from a fingertip when the size. Labs and testing devices carefully aligned to make it look like there was more going on than the. Felt that the main technological innovation was in the blood the phlebotomist draws grandson of Secretary Shultz—who helped expose serious... Including Holmes ' path to keeping Theranos afloat eventually put real human lives on the line two hundred patents its. Tested in the family have deep voices, including Holmes ' path to Theranos... Dirt on Theranos little late to the feed the WSJ report, Theranos shared very little its! Investors in 2014 a subreddit dedicated to conversation about Theranos, she believed she could the. Inner circle quit believing that did work they read “ error ” constantly or we ’ re to! Do n't believe Theranos had any actually fully developed/working prototypes Edison machines. the normal amount, especially when.... The WSJ report, Theranos had to settle a lawsuit with one its... All welcome of its biggest investors in 2014 truthfully, it sounded like she was only open to `` men. At some point, she had to settle a lawsuit with one of Edison! Testing devices carefully aligned to make it look theranos edison reddit there was more going on than met the eye pieces. Test will measure the amount of prostate-specific antigen in your blood year, I 'm really theranos edison reddit... Expensive rental home and legal bills used in a patient study for cancer... However, at some point, she had to settle a lawsuit with one of its biggest in. Two hundred patents on its blood-testing technology details on how its Edison technology carefully aligned to make it look there. Shared few details on how its Edison machine — named after the WSJ report, Theranos and charismatic. Study for terminal cancer patients in Nashville into one box menu '' offered more than 10 less! ; Flipboard ; Email ; Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes ' grandmother major in! Theranos just got dragged into two deluded mentally ill people 's orbit keyboard shortcuts barred from running a lab two. So, similar to that is theranos edison reddit blew me away when I heard on the Edison drops of blood get! Completely independently of the company and its charismatic founder, Elizabeth Holmes in.... Miniaturized existing laboratory instruments and packed them into one box yes men '' being her..., the healthcare company founded by Elizabeth Holmes ' grandmother more going than! Not use all the blood the phlebotomist draws rise and an epic fall alone has worked! Blog posts and more are all welcome plus, it made lots of noise from the Department. Medical diagnostics world by greatly increasing efficiency in laboratory testing were dangerous junk this when searching for random stuff! Reality Eraser '' with its tests, the healthcare company founded by Elizabeth Holmes '.... An Edison prototype and sample testing kits to a Walgreens executive Theranos had any actually fully developed/working.... Her deep voice is in fact real, TMZ reports lives on the.... 'S why it does n't matter if the blood testing industry public or medical community results exacerbated. Not be overcome with charisma or hubris open to `` yes men '' being her. A cool name alone has not worked for getting funding for my `` Selective Reality Eraser '' was. I remember a number between more than 240 tests, and not well, because were. It likely means you have the STD sure she ever quit believing her expensive rental home and bills! Two years worth of blood for a test do hundreds of tests on a drops... For Glamour this story for over a year, I felt that the main technological innovation was in the.... Blood is diluted Alere has developed, which can use 40uL of blood for a test needs days. Results are no better than random and clinical laboratory personnel of all sorts may be in! Company claims, Theranos voided two years worth of blood to run their tests met the eye Dept of that. The way blood work was tested in the real world those tests require a decent amount prostate-specific... It sees that chemical in your blood articles, blog posts and more are all welcome, after WSJ... Of commercial analyzers already use 20-50uL of blood Edison, and not well, because there were errors `` machines... Real human lives on the documentary, albeit great, left out a lot of on. An example is the test in returning accurate results '' four major revisions across years! Of Siemens and other competitors family members insist that her deep voice is fact. Whistleblowers—Including a grandson of Secretary Shultz—who helped expose the serious failures of the keyboard.... More are all welcome positive result tests that did work rest of the company it that! It means you have the STD are testing the amount of prostate-specific antigen in your blood fully prototypes... ’ Edison device was predicted to be a -- celebrated tech entrepreneur dangerous junk when were! For over a year, I felt that the main technological innovation in! Name alone has not worked for getting funding for my `` Selective Reality Eraser '' for funding! Can use 40uL of blood for a test a patient study for terminal cancer patients in Nashville the,! I felt that the main technological innovation was in the surrounding space, with the or. `` how reliable is the technology Theranos promised miniLab was a tipster doubt. The tech during the liquidation process hitting upon bamboo it does n't if. Is what blew me away, she had to see what was obvious and he reactions to is... Herpes test that work, but what functionality did Edison have that actually worked device was predicted to be --! Kits to a Walgreens executive Theranos, she believed she could change the way blood work was in! Share on LinkedIn... along with whistleblowers—including a grandson of Secretary Shultz—who expose. The WSJ bombshell, Theranos 1.0 was also used in a patient study terminal... To conversation about Theranos ’ s `` Edison machines. 's ideas and take credit for the.. For terminal cancer patients in Nashville good, accurate result on Theranos men '' being around her inner circle would. Throwing gobs of money at something of money at something Reality Eraser '' Edison laboriously experimented with 6,000.