Researchers develop DNA test to catch doping cheats in elite sports

VANCOUVER – Researchers at the University of British Columbia are closing another avenue for cheating in sport with a DNA test which can catch athletes who use blood doping to enhance their performance.

The test is touted as being easier, faster and cheaper than current tests for signs of doping when athletes get a transfusion of someone else’s blood — something cyclist Lance Armstrong has admitted to doing.

Elite cheats aim to boost their red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, and help improve endurance.

The US Anti-Doping Agency currently tests for signs of doping through transfusion by examining proteins in blood.

James Rupert, an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology at UBC, says the new test allows DNA to be amplified to a high resolution, which can’t be done with proteins.

He says the technology enables white cells to be inspected for different populations of genes and reveal if a second person’s cells are present.