Sports-doping detection award

The 2011 Manfred Donike award for scientific excellence in sports-doping testing has been presented to Simon Beuck and Nicolas Leuenberger. The award, sponsored by Agilent Technologies, recognizes distinguished scientific contributions in doping analysis and celebrates scientists who exemplify the spirit and scientific leadership of doping control pioneer Manfred Donike.

Beuck is a researcher at the Center of Preventive Doping Research at the German Sport University, Cologne, Germany. He was honoured for his work with a research group developing LC–MS–MS-based analytical assays to detect abuse of hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizers, which increase blood erythropoietin and haemoglobin levels. Beuck identified metabolites of the stabilizers by in-vitro experiments, using LC–MS–MS and LC–(MS)–NMR. His work permits the implementation of these substances in existing sports doping-control procedures, before approval of the compounds on the pharmaceutical market, and is described as an excellent example of preventive doping research.

Leuenberger is with the Swiss Laboratory for doping analysis of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland. He received the award for his work, which used circulating microRNAs and quantitative real-time PCR to identify stable biomarkers for the use of the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent CERA. These results might also enable use of these novel biomarkers to detect other doping substances and methods such as growth hormone or autologous blood transfusion.

This story originally appeared in The Column. Click here to view that issue.