Joe Biden once praised Theranos as a “laboratory of the future” and heaped praise on Elizabeth Holmes, whom he called “inspired and amazing”.

Holmes, who on Tuesday was found guilty of fraud, then used Mr Biden’s support to promote her blood testing startup as a “new era in preventative healthcare”.

Mr Biden, who was then vice-president, visited the company in Newark, California, on July 23, 2015.

Theranos issued a press release touting Mr Biden’s backing, calling the visit a “health summit”. The company detailed how Mr Biden took a tour with Holmes and “saw first hand Theranos’ laboratory” and its “proprietary systems on which it runs its groundbreaking finger stick blood tests.”

Mr Biden also “toured the manufacturing facility where its proprietary systems are manufactured,” the company said.

The vice-president met more than a dozen Theranos employees.

Holmes praised Mr Biden for “spending his entire career taking bold action to improve people’s lives” and said they had a detailed discussion about public policy.

During his visit, Mr Biden said: “Talk about being inspired. This is inspiration. It is amazing to me, Elizabeth, what you’ve been able to do.”