Why didn’t Theranos work? (and could it have ever worked?)

Question

I’ve heard of PCR before (polymerase chain reaction) where more copies of a DNA sample can be rapidly made. If the problem was that the quantity of blood that Theranos uses is too small, why wasn’t PCR used/ (if it was) why didn’t it work?

Also if I’m completely misunderstanding PCR, if someone could for that too, I’d appreciate it, thank you!

In: 148

Answer 1

There isn’t enough “stuff” in the sample. To find stuff, you need a lot stuff to look for.

It’s like looking for a single needle in a haystack. The more needles, the more likely you will fine one.

SOURCE: Did some time in bioinformatics.

Answer 2

There isn’t enough “stuff” in the sample. To find stuff, you need a lot stuff to look for.

It’s like looking for a single needle in a haystack. The more needles, the more likely you will fine one.

SOURCE: Did some time in bioinformatics.