National Science Week: The Science Behind the Test
As part of National Science Week, Sport Integrity Australia explains the science behind the three anti-doping testing methods that are vital to keeping sport clean.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes can be tested for performance enhancing drugs anywhere, anytime. But what are the tests? How are they different? And what are they looking for?
Forensic scientist and Sport Integrity Australia Assistant Director of Science Dr Gemma Payne says the methods and the science behind anti-doping practices are an important part of the job.
“Each method and the science behind them offer unique insights depending on the test, they can identify whether an athlete has used either a prohibited method or a prohibited substance and what the substance is,” says Dr Payne.
“The most common method of testing is urinalysis or urine testing and SIA collects around 4000 urine samples from athletes each year.
“Urinalysis has been used in science and medicine for approximately 6,000 years, because urine contains information about substances that have been ingested and passed through organs such as the kidneys and liver,” Dr Payne says.
Athletes are required to provide a sample of at least 90ml of urine which is then split into an A and B sample by the athlete and sent to a World Anti-Doping Code (WADA) accredited laboratory for testing.
There, it is screened for the hundreds of substances contained on the WADA Prohibited List.
Another method is traditional blood testing. Making up roughly eight percent of a person’s body weight, blood is made up of many different components including plasma, red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells.
Blood testing in sport is most often used to collect longitudinal data which forms an Athlete’s Biological Passport (ABP), which monitors fluctuations in an athlete’s biology over time.
For blood sample collections, qualified Blood Collection Officers will withdraw around 15ml from an athlete’s vein, which is equal to two tablespoons.
“An athlete’s blood sample can be stored frozen by a WADA-accredited laboratory for up to ten years and with advances in science, athlete samples can be reanalysed a decade after they were originally taken,” she says.
“This acts as a deterrent to athletes, knowing that doping athletes are up against not just the science of today, but the science ten years from now.”
In 2021 WADA approved dried blood spot (DBS) testing as a new anti-doping test to detect prohibited substances.
Dr Payne says, the least invasive method of testing, DBS collects a small amount of blood, equivalent to a finger prick, to collect both the A and B samples, extracted through a special device from the upper arm of the athlete.
“The blood is then deposited onto absorbent material, sealed and sent to a WADA-accredited laboratory for testing,” Dr Payne says.
DBS, along with traditional blood and urine tests allow for a wide range of prohibited substances to be detected.
Dr Payne says that the continuing advancements in science and sport medicine ensure the safety of our athletes and the integrity of our sports.
“Science has allowed Anti-Doping Organisations like Sport Integrity Australia to ensure the fairness and safety of our athletes through these tests,” she says.
“This insight is crucial to protecting athletes and sport.”
