Phyllis Gardner, Early Skeptic of Theranos, Dies at 75

Phyllis Gardner, a prominent pharmacologist, passed away at the age of 75. She was an early skeptic of Theranos, the now-defunct blood-testing startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes. Gardner, who had been a professor at Stanford University's School of Medicine, was convinced that Theranos's core technology would not work as claimed. She voiced her concerns about the company's claims, but initially, few listened to her skepticism. Theranos, which once promised to revolutionize the healthcare industry with its purported ability to conduct a range of tests using only a few drops of blood, ultimately collapsed amid allegations of fraud and deception. Gardner's early warnings about the company's unrealistic claims were later validated. Her death marks the passing of a influential voice in the Theranos saga, which served as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hype and the importance of scrutinizing bold claims, especially in the field of healthcare technology.