Billboards in Miami Peddling More than Just Pseudo-science

As if Miami's streets weren't full of "what the hell did I just see" moments, new Theranos billboards advertising a product called "Blue Magic" give drivers another reason to scratch their heads along Interstate 95.

Entrepreneur Ryan "Egypt" El-Hosseiny has seemingly revived Theranos, the defunct company founded by convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, in West Palm Beach.

"I am not a sock puppet in the healthcare space," El-Hosseiny wrote in a statement to New Times. "I am an innovator, an inventor, and put quality products before profits. No one did their homework on Theranos. I did, and I'm here today."

Federal prosecutors' homework, however, led to Holmes' conviction in January 2022: 11 years in prison for falsely claiming her company had developed revolutionary blood-testing technology.

In his YouTube videos, El-Hosseiny claims that because he replicated Holmes' technology, she must be innocent. He plastered his message on billboards along I-95 in April and May.
Several Redditors ripped those advertisements last month, and it didn't take long for them to tear into his latest ads.

"God help us all ... the rapture is coming," one user wrote.

Another wondered whether "Blue Magic" was the name of a '70s heroin brand.

"Seems like a lunatic got ahold of the GoDaddy account for Theranos.com," one user wrote after visiting El-Hosseiny's website.

Another Redditor who visited the website stumbled upon a video of El-Hosseiny's over-the-top live tech demonstration at a popular nightclub in Miami, replete with an Elizabeth Holmes actress in an orange jumpsuit.

Yes, seriously; the full video is a must-see.

"I was trying to decide whether to launch my company from LIV or E11EVEN," they wrote. "Anyone have advice on which would be best?"

He's just another classic example of a South Florida grifter, another said. "Absolute batshit move, but this is South Florida, and we have seen crazier."

But El-Hosseiny says he's ready to take on his critics.

"Elizabeth Holmes may be in prison, but the technology is real, and it is out now," El-Hosseiny said in a statement to the New Times. "You can't silence the science."

El-Hosseiny, whose LinkedIn says he worked his way up from a Winn-Dixie bag boy to CEO for various health companies, claims to have relaunched Theranos this year and, on a company website, refers to Holmes and himself as "inventors." In his bio, El-Hosseiny also asserts that he's "often referred to as the Steve Jobs of medical labs."

Now, in a move absolutely everyone saw coming, he's paid for more billboard time because he's got a product to sell us.

"Blue Magic" refers to blood-testing technology that appears eerily similar to Holmes' scheme. Theranos Labs' explanation of the product is a bit hard to follow and uses the same mixture of jargon and vague descriptions one might find at a middle school science fair.

Information about the technology remained murky after further explanation from the self-proclaimed inventor.

"The invention has worked since 2007," El-Hosseiny said. "It's a complex technology that needs to be understood. Now, we're here to deliver — transparently, ethically, and with science that undisputedly stands up to scrutiny.

"This isn't just a biotech reboot. It's a reckoning and an opportunity to restore public trust in health innovation by delivering life-saving tools to the people who need them most."

Holmes founded Theranos in 2003, claiming her blood-testing technology only required a finger prick, rather than a traditional blood draw, to test for several diseases. Evidence presented in court, however, showed Holmes knew the analyzer wasn't producing accurate results, which led to her 2022 conviction.

Now, according to his website, El-Hosseiny is promoting new blood-testing technology that begins with an "ultra-purification" step on a "nano-sample" of blood. This technology can test for "cancer, thyroid, female hormones, male hormones, inflammation markers, and advanced cardiac testing. "

"Blue Magic formula is added to identify the substances we're testing and creates a blue beam of light," according to Theranos Labs. Theranos then uses specialized computers to read the light intensity.

Glowing blood may sound strange, but law enforcement experts will tell you that luminol, used to detect blood at crime scenes, does the same thing.

While Theranos Labs shows prices for various laboratory tests (anywhere from $7 for a hemoglobin A1C test to $20 to examine vitamin D levels), it's unclear how much the Blue Magic testing costs and where these services are available, but the company's website teases the impending arrival of Theranos wellness clinics.

"The company is currently operating in stealth mode," El-Hosseiny said, "With early clinical validations already in place."