1. Education and early career

2. Employment at Theranos
    Issues with company culture  Patent dispute 

3. Death

4. Biography at Theranos website

5. References

Ian Gibbons was a biochemist and was the chief scientist of Theranos; a health technology company infamous for its false claims to have devised blood tests that only needed very small amounts of blood.

Education and early career

Gibbons was British and held a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge. He spent 30 years working on diagnostic and therapeutic products at various technology concerns including Biotrack Laboratories. At Biotrack, he worked with Channing Robertson, who later recommended him as the first experienced scientist hired by Theranos. Gibbons, Robertson, and others invented and patented a mechanism at Biotrack to dilute and mix liquid samples, abilities which would become key in Theranos processes.^[1][1]

Employment at Theranos

Brought in by CEO Elizabeth Holmes in 2005 as the company's chief scientist,^[3] Gibbons was the first experienced scientist hired,^[2] with the title "Senior Director, Assay Development".^[3]

Issues with company culture

As chief scientist within Theranos, Gibbons often gave the staff informal lectures on biochemistry and the science of blood testing. To ensure product success, Gibbons insisted that blood test results from Theranos developmental devices match benchmark results of competitors' commercial analyzers. As time went on, Theranos' devices often became a source of frustration for Gibbons, as they differed - sometimes quite wildly - from the benchmarks. His high standards became a source of friction with Theranos engineers and senior management; senior management warned employees who question the accuracy of the technology.^[3] As a result of his desperation, Gibbons would confide to his wife that "nothing at Theranos is working".^[2] Holmes' practice of discouraging communication between departments also troubled Gibbons. The reason given for such information siloing was that the company was operating in "stealth mode" to protect its trade secrets.^[3] However, it prevented effective problem solving and pursuance of common goals between employees.

With an insider perspective, Gibbons knew of Holmes' lies to employees and outsiders about Therano's technology and readiness, as well as false demonstrations to clients. Thus, Gibbons no longer trusted Holmes. However, he continued to struggle to make the flawed Theranos technology catch up to the hype.^[4][2]

In the fall of 2010, Holmes was alerted of Gibbons' complaints and frustrations, and he was fired. Several of his colleagues lobbied on his behalf, and he was quickly rehired; with reduced responsibilities, as a technical consultant to the chemistry group he formerly headed.^[5]

Patent dispute

Inventor-entrepreneur Richard Fuisz was a former friend and next-door neighbor of the Holmes family. The two families had fallen out, and Fuisz's offer to help Holmes with her invention had been declined.^[6] Fuisz studied all that was publicly available regarding the Theranos technology, and identified a desirable but missing feature. He filed a patent for a physician-alert mechanism that could be embedded in Theranos devices, something that would complicate Holmes' vision of putting the devices directly into consumer homes. When Theranos learned of the filing, it sued Fuisz, alleging patent theft.^[5][2]

Gibbons was named as co-inventor with Holmes on many Theranos patents. When researching his defense to the Theranos lawsuit, Fuisz noticed similarities between Gibbons' patents at Biotrack and recent Theranos patents. Suspecting improper reuse of past work, he added Gibbons' name to his list of witnesses to be deposed.

When Gibbons learned that he would be subpoenaed to testify, he became nervous and depressed. He wanted to avoid being deposed, afraid his job depended on his testimony. Gibbons believe that if he told the truth, he would lose his job, hurt future job prospects, harm himself, his coworkers and Theranos itself. However, he believed that if he lied, patients using Theranos technology would be exposed to misdiagnosis, danger, or even death.^[2]

Death

On 15 May 2013, Gibbons was notified to appear at the Fuisz lawyers' offices on 17 May to give a deposition. Theranos had been actively discouraging him from testifying, and thus, a Theranos lawyer emailed him a draft doctor's note that could be adapted to excuse him. On the evening of 16 May, Gibbons took a massive overdose of acetaminophen. The following morning, he was discovered on the bathroom floor by his wife, to be unconscious and barely breathing. He died in the hospital on 23 May 2013, his liver destroyed. When his wife called Holmes' office to report his death, she received not a callback from Holmes, but an email from a Theranos lawyer requesting she immediately return Gibbons' company laptop and any confidential information he might have had.^[2]

Biography at Theranos website

In 2012, Gibbons' biography on the Theranos "Management" web page read:^[7]

Ian Gibbons, PhD, Senior Director, Assay Development

Ian Gibbons has spent thirty years in research and development of diagnostic and therapeutic products, developing more than twenty products in five major product families. He is the author of forty published scientific articles and inventor on some sixty patents and patent applications. Before joining Theranos, Dr. Gibbons worked on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Infectious Disease Diagnostics and Novel Non-Separation Assay Technology at Syva Company. He also developed Point-of-Care Assays for Monitoring Drugs for Biotrack, A Hematopoietic Stem Cell Purification System for AmCell, and A Multiplexed Assay System for Hospital Point-of-Care Diagnosis and Prognosis at First Medical. Ian received both a BA and MA in Biochemistry and Chemistry and a PhD in Biochemistry from Cambridge University in England.

References

• Autocar (magazine)
• Autocar magazine
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• Autocars Co.
• Autocatalysis
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• Autocatalytic set
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• Autocensorship
• Autocephalous
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• Autochrome
• Autochrome Lumière
• Autochthones
• Autochthonous
• Autochthonous Language
• Autochthonous language
• Autochthons
• Autochton
• Autochtonous language
• Autoclave
• Autoclave (band)
• Autoclaved aerated concrete
• Auto club