Theranos Gets (Another) Bad Lab Report
Updated January 27, 2016, at 6:01 p.m.

The Wall Street Journal has more bad news about Theranos, the blood-testing startup that was once a Silicon Valley darling valued at $9 billion. The Journal reported today that laboratory violations at Theranos would put patients in “immediate jeopardy,” and disqualify the company from participating in the Medicare program.
On Monday, federal health inspectors found “serious deficiencies” at a Theranos lab. It’s not clear what those problems are, though the Journal says the issues are “far more severe” than ones detected in an inspection of the same laboratory in 2013. This comes after the Journal reported in October that Theranos was not yet able—as it claimed—to perform a wide range of lab tests on a pinprick-sized sample of blood.
Because Theranos has raised more than $400 million and made headlines for its eye-popping valuation, its stumbles have been a source of schadenfreude in Silicon Valley. But it would be a shame if its struggles obscured the fact that blood tests in general are justifiably hot right now: they can be used to glean remarkable new insights, even about tumors or other problems that show up only in minuscule amounts. That development won’t be derailed even if Theranos falls apart.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
Keep Reading
Most Popular
DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.
“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.
What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines
New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.
Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats
With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure
Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation
From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.