Scientists trying hard to stay ahead of drug-taking athletes before Olympics

Scientists are putting every possible effort to stay ahead of steroid or drug-taking athletes or those can undergo genetic manipulation, as per major four-decade review by three of the World's leading experts on doping in sport.

One of the cardinal characteristics of doping is that some athletes tend to experiment with new substances, which are pending for approval, with aim to enhance performance on the field, according to Professor Don Catlin, Founder and former Director of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory at the University of California, USA, and CEO of the Anti-Doping Research Institute.

From News-Medical.Net:

"Remarkable advances have been made over the last 40 years which have allowed sports authorities to identify and sanction athletes who have misused a wide range of drugs, most of which were developed to treat diseases" says Professor Ljungqvist. "More recently drugs have been produced and used to specifically enhance athletic performance and avoid detection.

"At the same time strict regulations have been developed to ensure that athletes with a proven clinical need can still receive the prescription drugs they need without fear of sanctions."

"This major review by Professors Catlin, Ljungqvist and Fitch provides a concise description of the history of drug testing for the Olympic Games, with fascinating details on the evolution of laboratory equipment and analytical strategies" says Dr Thomas H Murray, President and CEO of The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute based in New York.

"It identifies failings of the overall anti-doping system - most of them out of the laboratories control - and describes a number of challenges to be confronted.

"And it also shows us that there are five elements that are necessary for a successful anti-doping programme. These are: a strong commitment to - and sufficient funding for - research, a smart sampling strategy, adequate analytical capacity, a trustworthy adjudication process and a solid foundation of clear principles and transparent process."

Catlin further remarked that there is an urgent need to develop tests that can identify previously not-identified performance enhancing drugs before news of a new drug or steroid misused by athletes for enhancing performance is heard by them.