Marco della Cava

USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — High-valued biotech start-up Theranos amped up its association with high-ranking government officials Thursday as Vice President Joe Biden joined a select group of healthcare industry leaders at the company's lab in Newark, Calif.

Theranos was started a decade ago by Elizabeth Holmes, who envisioned a new blood-testing process that requires less blood (drops compared to vials) at lower costs (fertility panels run $35, cholesterol checks for $3).

The company recently won Food and Drug Administration approval for its lab work as well as its test for the herpes virus. Theranos also helped push an Arizona bill into law on July 3 that allows patients to order blood tests without doctor approval. The FDA also granted the company a waiver that would enable it to create a suite of point-of-care products, akin to the way home pregnancy tests are administered by consumers. Most of Theranos' Wellness Center outlets are in Arizona, with one near its headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., and another in central Pennsylvania.

“Talk about being inspired," Biden said, according to statements provided by Theranos. "This is inspiration. It is amazing to me, Elizabeth, what you’ve been able to do. What’s most impressive to me is you’re not only making these lab tests more accessible ... empowering people whether they live in the barrio or a mansion, putting them in a position to help take control of their own health.”

During his visit to the facility, which is typically off limits to the press and outsiders, Biden met with Theranos employees and health leaders such as Amir Rubin, president of Stanford Hospitals (Holmes, 31, dropped out of Stanford to start Theranos), Gary St. Hilaire, CEO of Capital Blue Cross, and Darin Gordon, director of TennCare, Tennessee's state Medicaid program.

Holmes told the assembled group that she "convened this roundtable as a call to action. Leaders in health must collectively come together because that’s the only way that we’ll change this health care paradigm from one focused on reactive care to one focused on preventive care. Nobody knows that as well as the vice president, who has spent his entire career taking bold action to improve people’s lives.”

Despite her youth, Holmes has had phenomenal success attracting high-powered political veterans to her cause. Among Theranos' board members are former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former defense secretary William Perry and former senators Sam Nunn and Bill Frist. To date, Theranos has raised $400 million in capital, resulting in a valuation of $9 billion. Holmes owns half the company.

Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter @marcodella cava