Identification of New Serum Markers for Detection of Abuse With Erythropoietin

Epo increases red blood cell production and hence the amount of oxygen that can be transported around the body. It is shown that prolonged use of synthetic Epo (rHuEpo) leads to an increase in the period of time a given physical work can be performed, therefore it will continue to be abused by athletes, especially in endurance sports. The existing method for measuring the abuse of rHuEpo approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is based on differences in the sugar groups bound to rHuEpo and Epo produced in the body, respectively. Proteomics is a method by which one can look at all the proteins in blood at the same time. Even proteins that have changed very little can be distinguished. The main objective of this project is to investigate the effect of prolonged treatment with rHuEpo on changes in blood proteins in healthy young men.