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The Conversation
Amali Cooray, PhD Candidate in Genetic Engineering and Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)

You usually need more than a few drops of blood, saliva or urine to detect illnesses. Here’s why

Theranos Elizabeth Holmes Cancer
Lumen Photos/Shutterstock

In the 2000s, biotech company Theranos promised to revolutionise blood testing. Founder Elizabeth Holmes claimed Theranos technology could perform hundreds of tests using just a finger-prick drop of blood. If true, their diagnostics would be faster, cheaper and more accessible.

Theranos raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors and was valued at more than US$9 billion in 2015.

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