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[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
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0 7 - 0 2 - 2 0 0 5 British laboratory gets $1.5-million grant to study gene doping
Posted: 2/5/2005
Horserace Forensic Laboratories, which conducts drug testing on horses racing in Great Britain and elsewhere, was recently awarded a research grant of approximately $1.5-million to study gene doping in relation to racehorses.
Gene-doping is the manipulation of genetic material, which can among other things reverse muscular degeneration and is virtually undetectable. Manipulation of genetic material may naturally stimulate the production of performance enhancing substances.
Examples of such substances include erythropoietin (EPO) and growth hormone. Synthetic EPO for therapeutic purposes, such as in the treatment of anemia in humans, has been misused in racehorses, and some racing jurisdictions in the United States have developed rules to test EPO antibodies.
Gene-doping is outlawed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the English Jockey Club.
"Whilst gene doping is not considered to be an immediate threat to animal sports, developments in the human field will undoubtedly raise questions about integrity at some point in the future," said Dr. David Hall, chief executive officer of the laboratory, which is based near Newmarket.
"In the field of gene doping, Horserace Forensic Laboratories will be making an important contribution to the global effort to address the issue in human and animal sports. This is a great opportunity to get ahead of the doping cheats."
Last year, Horserace Forensic Laboratories secured a $400,000 grant from the World Anti-Doping Agency to help combat the "future threat of gene-doping," according to a company press release.
1 9 - 0 7 - 2 0 0 5 Cambridge firm fights Olympic drug cheats
By Lautaro Vargas A dope testing weapon capable of detecting the use of two of the most serious threats to drug-free sport is under development by a Cambridge firm and could be ready in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Early indications from research carried out by HFL in Fordham into how biomarkers can spot the use of genetic engineering suggest that the same technology could be harnessed in the battle against designer steroids. Current drug testing techniques only search for known banned substances. If a designer steroid is used that hasn’t been identified by the World Anti-Doping Agency, it will not be detected and the cheating athlete slip through the net. HFL’s work side steps this issue by testing biological response rather than chemical reactions. HFL chief executive, Dr David Hall, said: “The biomarker work we are carrying out would blow designer steroids out of the water. We don’t need to know what all the steroids out there are but we can spot their use through physiological changes in the athlete.” HFL believe the work represents a real opportunity to change the way doping tests are operated around the world. Dr Hall said: “This is biology, not chemistry. At the moment we look specifically for a subject, for example an anabolic steroid, but that would change with this technology. “There is no doubt that the body responds in important ways to a range of steroids. The thing is to find how indicative it is for dope testing, there still needs to be a very specific correlation between the biomarkers and use of the substance.” Gene-doping involves the genetic manipulation of an individual to artificially stimulate the ‘natural’ production of a performance enhancing effect. Explicitly outlawed by WADA, would-be cheats may attempt to exploit otherwise entirely legitimate developments in therapeutic gene therapy in order to influence natural sports performance. Though gene-doping is less prevalent than designer steroids, many experts fear the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 will see their emergence. Dr Hall said: “People thought that gene-doping would be more of a problem at Athens. It certainly will be in Beijing – Olympics 2008 – and by 2012 we need to be on top of it. “HFL is involved in three major projects, each overlapping and complementary, covering gene-testing and biomarkers. We are probably the only active laboratory analysing across a range of sports, both animal and human.” HFL’s origins lie with drug surveillance in the horse racing industry. Following WADA accreditation last year – making HFL one of only 32 WADA-accredited labs worldwide – Dr Hall believes HFL offers a unique range of services, placing it in an excellent position to tender for work like the London 2012 Games. “We also offer services to pharmaceuticals developing drugs. It gives us a completeness that no other lab has, giving us a telescope to the drugs of tomorrow, which always start out as therapeutic treatments.” |
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