How is EPO detected?
A test for EPO was first presented at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia that was based on a complementary analysis using blood and urine matrix. With this test, a blood screening took place first, followed by a urine test to confirm possible use of EPO.
Further published research established that urine tests alone can reliably detect recombinant EPO, a finding that WADA’s Executive Committee accepted in 2003, which led to the adoption of the current EPO detection method. WADA explains that the research “concluded that urinary testing is the only scientifically validated method for direct detection of recombinant EPO” and “recommended that urine testing be used in conjunction with blood screening for a variety of reasons, including the cost savings of performing blood screening prior to testing urine.”
“Recent advances in both direct and indirect detection methods, including the hematological module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), allow for increased detection sensitivity through longitudinal monitoring of blood-based biomarkers in individual athletes,” explains WADA. Atypical ABP profiles are used to facilitate target testing and guide further ESA analyses.
Is the EPO detection method reliable?
The EPO detection method is widely accepted by the scientific community and has gone through an extensive scientific validation process. Accredited anti-doping laboratories worldwide have also successfully used it for years. In September 2005, the WADA Laboratory Committee reaffirmed its support of the method when applied appropriately. According to WADA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has also supported the validity of the EPO detection method in all its decisions relating to EPO.