Researchers develop DNA test to catch doping cheats in elite sports

VANCOUVER - Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a DNA test to catch athletes who use blood doping to enhance their performance, but its limitations mean the current testing system will continue to detect cheaters.

James Rupert, an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of B.C., said the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency funded research for the DNA test, which was designed to be cheaper, easier and faster than the existing method.

The agency uses a test that examines athletes' blood for proteins to determine if they've received a transfusion of someone else's blood.

Rupert, whose study has been published in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, said Friday that the UBC test allows DNA to be amplified to a high resolution, which can't be done with proteins.

He said the technology enables white cells to be inspected for different populations of genes and reveal if a second person's cells are present. Red blood cells do not have DNA.

Elite cheats, including admitted blood-doping cyclist Lance Armstrong, aim to boost their red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, and help improve endurance.

However, Rupert said the initial quest was to develop a finger-prick test that could be used by volunteer doping control officers at the Olympics, for example, but it did not work.

He said there are also ethical concerns about collecting genetic data for doping control.

"There may be a bit of a block to collecting athletes' genetic data," he said.

The test may also be limited because of the various tricks athletes use to bypass blood-doping detection such as skimming off white blood cells before the blood is transfused from a donor.

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Researchers develop DNA test to catch doping cheats in elite sports