A prestigious scientific organisation has descended into infighting over a decision to invite Elizabeth Holmes, founder of blood-testing group Theranos, to deliver a presentation at its annual conference this week, with at least two members of the association threatening to resign.

The American Association for Clinical Chemistry invited Ms Holmes to deliver a 90-minute talk in front of 3,000 scientists on Monday night despite protests from some scientists responsible for organising the conference, who argued that a series of damaging scandals at Theranos should disqualify the company.

Ms Holmes had been expected to use the session to present scientific data in defence of her company’s proprietary blood-testing technology, including a tiny finger-prick vial or “nanotainer” that she claims can generate accurate test results without traditional needles or venous draws.