Ian Gibbons (biochemist)

For other people with the same name, see Ian Gibbons.
Ian Gibbons
BornMarch 6, 1946
Runcorn, Cheshire, England
DiedMay 23, 2013 (aged 67)
Portola Valley, California, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by overdose of acetaminophen
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Cambridge (Ph.D.)[1][2]
University of California, Berkeley (Postdoc)[3]
Occupation(s)Researcher, Syva & Biotrack
Chief Scientist, Theranos
SpouseRochelle Gibbons[4][5][6]

Ian Gibbons (March 6, 1946 – May 23, 2013) was a British biochemist and molecular biology researcher who served as the chief scientist of the US company Theranos, which was founded by Elizabeth Holmes. For more than 30 years, Gibbons performed research in medical therapeutics and diagnostic testing prior to joining Theranos in 2005. He attempted to raise issues with Theranos' management about the inaccuracy of their testing devices.

In 2013, Gibbons intentionally overdosed on acetaminophen the night before he was scheduled to be deposed in a lawsuit related to Theranos. He was hospitalized for several days and died from liver failure. Theranos collapsed in 2018 after journalist John Carreyrou revealed in The Wall Street Journal that its supposedly revolutionary blood testing devices, requiring only a fingerstick of blood, had never functioned as claimed. Gibbons had attempted to inform his superiors at Theranos, including Holmes, of the failure of their technology but the company's executives repeatedly ignored his objections.

Gibbons' career at Theranos is documented in Carreyrou's book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, and in the second episode of the ABC News podcast The Dropout. British actor Stephen Fry portrayed Gibbons in the biographical drama miniseries The Dropout, which is based on the podcast.

  1. ^ Carreyrou 2020, p. 140.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference skewed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Carreyrou 2020, p. 142.
  4. ^ Gibney, Alex, "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley", HBO, archived from the original on 2 April 2019, retrieved 1 April 2019
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference widow was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference physiology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).