Ian Gibbons (biochemist)

Ian Gibbons (March 6, 1946 - May 23, 2013) was the chief scientist of Theranos. The British biochemist, who held a doctorate from the University of Cambridge, had worked for 30 years in diagnostic and therapeutic industry before joining Theranos in 2005. In 2013 Gibbons took an overdose the night before he was required to testify in a lawsuit about the health company's technology. He died of liver failure several days after his suicide attempt. In 2018 Theranos collapsed after it became known its small automated testing devices that it was developing to do blood tests never actually worked.^[2]

Early career[]

Gibbons was British and held a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge.^[2] He spent 30 years working on diagnostic and therapeutic products at various technology companies, including Biotrack Laboratories. At Biotrack, he worked with Channing Robertson, who later recommended him as the first experienced scientist hired by Theranos. Gibbons, Robertson, and others invented and patented a mechanism at Biotrack to dilute and mix liquid samples, abilities which would become key in Theranos processes.^[2][3]

Theranos[]

Gibbons was brought in by CEO Elizabeth Holmes in 2005 as the company's chief scientist,^[4] Gibbons was the first experienced scientist hired,^[2] with the title senior director, Assay Development.^[5] The Theranos website stated:

Ian Gibbons, PhD, Senior Director, Assay Development

Ian Gibbons has spent thirty years in research and development of diagnostic and therapeutic products, developing more than twenty products in five major product families. He is the author of forty published scientific articles and inventor on some sixty patents and patent applications. Before joining Theranos, Dr. Gibbons worked on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Infectious Disease Diagnostics and Novel Non-Separation Assay Technology at Syva Company. He also developed Point-of-Care Assays for Monitoring Drugs for Biotrack, A Hematopoietic Stem Cell Purification System for AmCell, and A Multiplexed Assay System for Hospital Point-of-Care Diagnosis and Prognosis at First Medical. Ian received both a BA and MA in Biochemistry and Chemistry and a PhD in Biochemistry from Cambridge University in England.^[6]

Gibbons' concerns[]

As chief scientist within Theranos, Gibbons often gave the staff informal lectures on biochemistry and the science of blood testing. To ensure product success, Gibbons insisted that blood test results from Theranos developmental devices need to match benchmark results of competitors' commercial analyzers. Theranos' devices often became a source of frustration for Gibbons, as they differed, sometimes significantly, from the benchmarks. His high standards became a source of friction with Theranos engineers and senior management. Senior management warned employees who questioned the accuracy of the technology.^[4] As a result of his desperation, Gibbons confided to his wife that "nothing at Theranos is working".^[2] Holmes' practice of discouraging communication between departments also troubled Gibbons. The reason given for such information siloing was that the company was operating in stealth mode to protect its trade secrets.^[4] However, it prevented effective problem solving and pursuance of common goals between employees.

With an insider perspective, Gibbons knew of Holmes' lies to employees and outsiders about Theranos' technology and readiness, as well as false demonstrations to clients. Thus, Gibbons no longer trusted Holmes. However, he continued to struggle to make the flawed Theranos technology catch up to the hype.^[7][2]

In the fall of 2010, Channing Robertson alerted Holmes of Gibbons' complaints and frustrations, Gibbons was subsequently fired. Several of his colleagues lobbied on his behalf, and he was quickly rehired; with reduced responsibilities, as a technical consultant to the chemistry group he had formerly headed.^[4]

Patent lawsuit[]

In 2011, Gibbons became involved in a patent theft case involving Theranos and Richard Fuisz. The American entrepreneur and inventor had been a former friend and neighbor of Elizabeth Holmes and her family. But the two families had fallen out and Fuisz's offer to help Holmes with her invention had been declined.^[8]

After Fuisz studied publicly available patent information regarding Theranos technology, he filed his own patent for a physician-alert mechanism that could be embedded in a testing device after identifying it was not covered by any Theranos patents. However, without owning this patent, Theranos would have needed a license from Fuisz' patent to cover physician/patient alerts; a highly desirable feature in a medical analyzer. When Theranos discovered that Fuisz had filed his patent, it responded by filing a lawsuit for patent theft alleging he had misused Theranos' existing patent technology.^[4][2]

While researching his defense to the Theranos lawsuit, Fuisz noted that Gibbons was often named as co-inventor with Holmes on many Theranos' patents. He also noted there were similarities between Gibbons' Theranos patents and those he had filed while working for a previous employer, Biotrack. In response, Fuisz added Gibbons' name to his list of witnesses to be deposed to answer questions about improper reuse of past work and the identification of Holmes as a co-inventor.

Gibbons became very nervous and depressed when he learned that he would be subpoenaed to testify. He wanted to avoid being deposed because he was afraid his job depended on his testimony. Gibbons believed that if he told the truth, he would lose his job, and have limited future job prospects due to his age.^[2][9]

Death[]

On May 15, 2013, Gibbons was notified that he needed to appear at the Fuisz lawyers' offices on May 17 to give his deposition. After Theranos had been actively discouraging him from testifying, a Theranos lawyer emailed him a draft doctor's note that could be adapted to excuse him. On the evening of May 16, Gibbons took a combination of medication and alcohol – that, as a biological scientist, he would have clearly known to be fatal. The following morning, he was discovered by his wife on the bathroom floor, unconscious and barely breathing. He died, aged 67, of liver failure in hospital on May 23, 2013. When his wife called Holmes' office to report his death, Holmes did not return her call. Instead his wife received an email from a Theranos lawyer requesting she immediately return Gibbons' company laptop and any confidential information he might have had in his possession.^[2]

References[]