While flipping through some articles this past weekend, I came upon an amazing story that hasn’t seemed to grab many headlines thus far.
I find this odd given the fact that this invention will revolutionize blood tests and possibly the entire healthcare system.
Elizabeth Holmes was only 19 years old when she dropped out of college and decided that her tuition money could be used to make the world a better place.
Now 30 years old, she is the youngest U.S. female billionaire with her company, Theranos, worth over $9 Billion. (Forbes)
Not only is her story inspirational, the product could also save countless lives and save the healthcare system a lot of money.
“I have a big fear of needles. As do a lot of people. It’s right up there with snakes and spiders,†said Holmes in an interview with USA Today.
Many people, such as Holmes and myself, have a fear of needles regardless of how quick and painless the process may be.
This is what led her to develop this product.
There are several people in the United States and abroad that avoid these tests for their fear, and in doing so lose essential health information that could save their life.
Their testing system only requires only a prick of the finger, which fills a Nanotainer that is smaller than a dime. This one-drop of blood is enough to run 30 different tests.
The Theranos test can test for hundreds of things including: White Blood Cell Count, Vitamin B-12, Uric Acid, Potassium, Marijuana, Iron, Hepatitis, HIV, Influenza, and the list goes on and on.
The prices of these tests are aimed to make lab testing accessible to everyone. They range in price from $1 to the high end of $50.
These tests are significantly cheaper than previous blood tests and only require a drop of blood rather than three large vials.
Besides the possibility of saving the healthcare system billions of dollars, the test is also more efficient giving you results in only an hour or so rather than a few days. Their process of loading the vial into a local reader for analysis eliminates the possibility of human error through handling.
The test could make the lives of many patients and healthcare workers much easier.
For a cancer patient that requires frequent blood testing, it could make the process faster and less painful. Children no longer have to scream and cry, as this test is virtually painless.
Geriatric patients no longer have to worry about searching for veins, because a simple finger stick is all that is needed.
Theranos says that the test can be conducted at a pharmacy, with results in fewer than 4 hours.
The company has already partnered with Walgreens and plans to make it available in all 8,200 U.S. stores.
Not only could this have a huge impact here in the U.S., but it could also provide an essential health service to several impoverished and underdeveloped countries around the world.
The company has been very secretive about the development of this product, which may be a reason why many have not heard of this development.
But with over 10 patents belonging to Theranos, the company has begun to take the product mainstream.
Trypanophobics (fear of needles) rejoice because the revolutionary Theranos blood test will be in the healthcare market sooner rather than later.
Zach Heppner
Viewpoints Editor
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