How is EPO doping detected?

How is EPO doping detected?

A blood screening was performed first and a urine test was then used to confirm possible use of EPO. In June 2003, WADA’s Executive Committee accepted the results of an independent report stating that urine tests alone can be used to detect the presence of recombinant EPO.

Can gene doping be detected?

German scientists have developed a blood test that can reliably detect gene doping even after 56 days. It was previously impossible to prove that an athlete had undergone gene doping. German scientists from Tübingen and Mainz have developed a blood test that can reliably detect gene doping even after 56 days.

How do you detect blood doping?

Tests for Blood Doping

  1. Autologous transfusions. Currently, no test exists to directly detect autologous transfusions.
  2. Homologous transfusions. Blood doping via homologous transfusion can be detected by testing.
  3. EPO injections. Blood and urine tests can detect the presence of synthetic EPO.
  4. Synthetic oxygen carriers.

How long is EPO detectable in blood?

While endogenous EPO was not decreased over the course of the study, EPO microdoses were detectable in blood and urine between 24 h and 72 h after an administration.

Is blood doping hard to detect?

“Blood doping can be achieved either via blood transfusion or EPO injections. The performance enhancing material is the blood itself, or a hormone (EPO) that is naturally produced by the body. This is why it can be so difficult to detect,” says Dr Caillaud.

How do you collect gene doping?

Gene doping would involve the use of gene transfer to increase or decrease gene expression and protein biosynthesis of a specific human protein; this could be done by directly injecting the gene carrier into the person, or by taking cells from the person, transfecting the cells, and administering the cells back to the …

What are the side effects of gene doping?

However, as there are not any reports on the risks of this process, it may have some health risks such as the risk of insertional mutagenesis (17), abnormal regulation of cell growth, toxicity from chronic over expression of the growth factor and cytokines, and malignancy.

What is EPO blood doping?

Erythropoietin—more commonly known as EPO—is a type of blood doping that can help improve an athlete’s endurance. EPO stimulates the production of red blood cells in bone marrow and regulates the concentration of red blood cells and haemoglobin in the blood.

What is an EPO blood test?

The erythropoietin test measures the amount of a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO) in blood. The hormone tells stem cells in the bone marrow to make more red blood cells. EPO is made by cells in the kidney. These cells release more EPO when blood oxygen level is low.

Can you detect EPO?

The detection method for EPO is valid and reliable. The method has undergone an extensive scientific validation process and has been used successfully for many years by accredited anti-doping laboratories around the world.

Why is detecting EPO difficult?