New research aims to stop ‘blood doping’ during cycling and other competitive sports

"New studies looking at how human blood changes when stored could help put an end to this illegal practice for athletes", says Carl-Johan Ivarsson, CEO, Qlucore.

Researchers are using a number of complex, data-intensive studies to provide new insight into “blood doping”, a practice which attempts to boost the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. This process is reputed to have been widespread in the sport of professional cycling, with recent revelations concerning the seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. In a recent investigation undertaken by USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) eleven of Armstrong's former team-mates have testified that Armstrong and many of the team used blood doping on a widespread basis. As has been widely publicised Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

To date, it has been extremely difficult to test whether an athlete has been involved in so-called “blood doping” – also known as induced erythrocythemia – which means that detection has often relied upon random searches of athletes’ homes and team facilities for evidence of the practice, rather than any reliable scientific testing...