Christiane Ayotte

Professor and Director, Doping control laboratory, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier

The fight against doping in sports : progress and setbacks!

The INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier is involved in the drug testing control of athletes since the Montreal Olympics in 1976. The methods of collecting and analyzing samples have evolved, along with our understanding of doping in sports and the “political” issues at stake. Assays performed in our laboratory involve the development and validation of methods based on mass spectrometry, the use of stable isotopes and molecular biology techniques for the detection of glycoprotein hormones. The majority of urinary metabolites of doping substances are now detected and confirmed by CG-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS. The sensitivity of current instrumentation enables the detection of compounds that previously eluded drug testing controls, though the identification of new elicit drugs still remain problematic. Our studies have also identified farming practices used for raising slaughter animals which in some countries, result in the involuntary consumption of growth promoters residues.