Someone with a PhD in microbiology explained to me (a layman) why what Theranos was claiming to do was impossible. She said you cannot test only a single drop of blood for certain things because what you are looking for literally may not be there. You need a full vial of blood to have a reliable chance of finding many things.
1. Is this simple but clear explanation basically correct?
2. If so, how could Theranos hoodwink investors for so long when possibly *millions* of well-educated people around the world knew that what they were claiming to do made no sense?
In: Biology
Lots of answers about your second question. As to your first question, the many reasons a single drop wont work include:
* Some tests require a higher volume of blood to get a larger sample size of blood cells for an accurate test. If you take a teeny tiny spot that just so happens to have a higher concentration of white cells than the rest of your blood, the result will be artificially inflated
* Some tests require you to dilute the blood to perform the test adequately. But if you try to dilute a single drop of blood enough to run the test you end up with… pink water
* Some tests use up the blood, leaving not enough blood for other tests
* Small amounts of blood congeal much faster, making their shelf life much shorter/
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