In the dark world of doping, scientists play catch-up
Despite progress in the field, practical disadvantages hamper testing
WASHINGTON: Tests to detect performance-enhancing drugs in athletes are improving, but even the newest have limitations, testing experts say, following recent reports of widespread doping in athletics. Most doping tests are designed to identify known substances. But athletes are constantly on the lookout for chemicals that are not on testers’ radars. Increasingly, these are genetically-engineered products that mimic the body’s own hormones and proteins. One such drug popular among athletes is Epogen. Made by Amgen Inc it is a recombinant version of erythropoietin (EPO), a substance produced in the kidney and used by the body to form oxygen-carrying red blood cells. It is used to treat anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease. Some athletes misuse Epogen to increase endurance and boost performance. It is on the list of substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). “We have a way to detect EPO but it’s difficult,” said Dr. Don Catlin, former director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. “It takes a couple of days to do and it’s expensive, so sports organizations who pay for the testing don’t like to order it.”
Concerns over doping resurfaced over the weekend after Britain’s Sunday Times and Ger many’s ARD/WDR said they had obtained data from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suggesting extensive doping in athletics between 2001 and 2012.
The IAAF on Tuesday described the European reports as “sensationalist and confusing” and said there was no evidence any athlete had failed a drugs test. It refuted any notion that it had not used all available tools to target suspected dopers. Among the problems facing test- ers are the costs and difficulties of detecting drugs. An EPO test, for instance, will only identify the drug if it was used within the previous 48 hours, said Catlin, who is considered one of the most prominent anti-doping experts in the field.