Nevada state lab director may be called as witness in Theranos trial

The manager of the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory is connected the government’s database of imaginable witnesses successful the high-profile transgression fraud proceedings of Theranos laminitis and CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

Nevada’s laboratory director, Mark Pandori, concisely served arsenic co-lab manager astatine Theranos, a Silicon Valley startup launched by Holmes, who claimed to person invented a revolutionary exertion that could execute the afloat scope of laboratory tests from a finger-prick’s worthy of blood.

Investors gave millions of dollars to Holmes, a Stanford dropout hailed arsenic the adjacent Steve Jobs, and pharmacy chains lined up to usage her technology.

There was conscionable 1 problem: It didn’t work.

Charged with 12 counts of fraud, Holmes is connected proceedings successful national tribunal successful San Jose, California. The 37-year-old has pleaded innocent, claiming she spent 15 years of her beingness pursuing a large thought that simply didn’t cookware out. Prosecutors allege she knew her exertion was unreliable and was duping patients, concern partners and investors.

Pandori worked arsenic co-lab manager astatine Theranos from December 2013 until helium resigned successful May 2014. The trigger for his departure was a petition helium made that Holmes cheque successful with the lab’s directors “before making representations to the property astir Theranos’ investigating capabilities,” erstwhile Wall Street Journal newsman John Carryrou wrote successful his 2018 publication “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies successful a Silicon Valley Startup.”

Holmes’ spouse Sunny Balwani summarily rejected the request, “prompting Mark to manus successful his resignation that precise day,” according to “Bad Blood.” In precocious 2015, Carryrou wrote a bid of articles successful the Wall Street Journal that exposed flaws with the technology, prompting authorities investigations that led to the charges against Holmes.

Another excerpt of “Bad Blood” references a concatenation of emails successful which Balwani berates Pandori and a co-lab manager for an experimentation to amended gauge the show of Theranos blood-testing equipment.

Pandori, who is mentioned respective times successful “Bad Blood” but is not quoted, declined to remark for this story.

In December 2019, Pandori joined the Nevada laboratory located astatine University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, wherever helium is an subordinate professor.

A cardinal subordinate successful Nevada’s effect to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandori has led investigating efforts astatine the authorities level and has accrued the investigation of trial samples to spot caller coronavirus variants.

Pandori studied genetics astatine University of California, Berkeley, obtained his doctorate successful biomedical science/virology astatine UC San Diego and received fellowship grooming astatine Harvard Medical School.

Holmes’ trial, which began successful precocious September, is expected to proceed into December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Mary Hynes astatine mhynes@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 connected Twitter.