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Researchers develop easier, faster test to spot blood doping
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new way to detect blood doping using DNA.
James Rupert, an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, and Irina Manokhina, a postdoctoral fellow, say their study, which was recently published in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, provides proof that genetic technology can be used in doping control.
The US Anti-Doping Agency currently tests for signs of homologous blood doping, in which blood is transferred from one donor to another, by examining proteins in blood.
“The technology that makes DNA based tests possible is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – the ability to amplify DNA to a high resolution, which cannot be done with proteins,” says Rupert. “This method would be faster, easier and more cost-effective than current strategies.”
More cost-effective
Using PCR, white blood cells are inspected for different populations of genes (red blood cells do not carry DNA). The test, which looks at roughly 10 variants, will show if the subject has tampered with his or her blood by revealing...
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new way to detect blood doping using DNA.
James Rupert, an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, and Irina Manokhina, a postdoctoral fellow, say their study, which was recently published in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, provides proof that genetic technology can be used in doping control.
The US Anti-Doping Agency currently tests for signs of homologous blood doping, in which blood is transferred from one donor to another, by examining proteins in blood.
“The technology that makes DNA based tests possible is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – the ability to amplify DNA to a high resolution, which cannot be done with proteins,” says Rupert. “This method would be faster, easier and more cost-effective than current strategies.”
More cost-effective
Using PCR, white blood cells are inspected for different populations of genes (red blood cells do not carry DNA). The test, which looks at roughly 10 variants, will show if the subject has tampered with his or her blood by revealing...