A high-throughput test to detect C.E.R.A. doping in blood

• Published in: Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis Vol. 50; no. 5; pp. 954 - 958
• Main Authors: Lamon, Séverine, Giraud, Sylvain, Egli, Léonie, Smolander, Jessica, Jarsch, Michael, Stubenrauch, Kay-Gunnar, Hellwig, Alice, Saugy, Martial, Robinson, Neil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 05.12.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Blood doping; C.E.R.A; Doping in Sports; ELISA; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods; Erythropoietin; Erythropoietin - analysis; Erythropoietin - blood; Erythropoietin - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General pharmacology; Humans; Isoelectric Focusing - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polyethylene Glycols - analysis; Recombinant Proteins - chemistry; Reproducibility of Results; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Substance Abuse Detection - methods; LLOQ; DIG; Erythropoietin; EPO; ROC; IEF; LLQC; ESA; QC; C.E.R.A; PEG; rhEPO; Blood doping; ELISA; Biological fluid; Peptides; Doping; Glycoprotein; Glycoprotein hormone; Enzyme immunoassay; Protein; Blood; Sialoglycoproteins; Polypeptide; ELISA assay
• ISSN: 0731-7085; 1873-264X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2009.06.038

C.E.R.A., a continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, is a new third-generation erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) that has recently been linked with abuse in endurance sports. In order to combat this new form of doping, we examined an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) designed to detect the presence of C.E.R.A. in serum samples. The performance of the assay was evaluated using a pilot excretion study that involved six subjects receiving C.E.R.A. Validation data demonstrated an excellent reproducibility and ensured the applicability of the assay for anti-doping purposes. To maximize the chances of detecting the drug in serum samples, we propose the use of this specific ELISA test as a high-throughput screening method, combined with a classic isoelectric focusing test as a confirmatory assay. This strategy should make C.E.R.A. abuse relatively easy to detect, thereby preventing the future use of this drug as a doping agent.