Elizabeth Holmes is the now 32 year old founder of medical company Theranos. She founded the company in 2003 when she was only 19 years old after dropping out of Stanford University where she had studied chemical engineering. She'd decided to use her tutition fees to create something that would change healthcare. And she did.
Theranos was based on the premise that blood tests can be used detect early signs of illness but for many people who have a fear of needles, like Holmes, they were often avoided. With that in mind, she wanted the process to be made slicker and easier. Her creation, the 'Edison' device, meant that people could be tested for a variety of illnesses after only a simple 'prick', instead of the rigmarole of a needle and syringe. It was revolutionary, investors flocked and Holmes became the world's youngest female billionaire in 2014.
But since then, things have taken a turn for the worse for the company. An investigation by Wall Street Journal in October 2015 found that Theranos technology wasn't quite what it had been made out to be and the Edison was actually only used in some blood tests and it hadn't disclosed that it was using standard machines for the 'vast majority' of the tests. In April, a US criminal investigation was launched into whether it had misled investors. On top of that, the Guardian reports that regulatory inspections of their labs have found evidence of issues that could post 'immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety' and they have been threatened with a ban.
The company had been valued at around $9 billion, of which Elizabeth Holmes owned half, but it has dropped significantly in the wake of the scandal although they still dispute the claims by *Wall Street Journal *and their lawyer has acknowledged that they don't use the device for all blood tests yet but that is their goal.
According to Deadline, the dramatic story is now being made in to a film with Jennifer Lawrence cast as Elizabeth Holmes. It's set to be produced by Adam Kay, who was also behind The Big Short; a film about the financial crisis.
Like this? You might also be interested in:
Meryl Streep Dresses Up As Donald Trump And The Result Is Sensational
Follow Chemmie on Twitter @chemsquier
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.