LADETEC to Use Agilent Technologies Instruments for Anti-Doping Tests at Pan American Games

Well before the July 14 start of the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, technicians and scientists from LAB DOP (Doping Control Laboratory), linked to the University of Rio de Janeiro’s LADETEC (Technical Development Support Laboratory), have been prepared to conduct anti-doping tests on approximately 1,200 samples from Pan American Games’ 5,500 athletes. Their goal: to identify any of hundreds of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-banned substances that might potentially be present, including stimulants, anabolic steroids, diuretics, narcotics, peptide hormones, beta-blockers, so-called social drugs and analgesics. LADETEC is the only Brazilian laboratory accredited by WADA.

LADETEC will also analyze more than 200 samples at the international Blind Sport Federation’s World Blind Championships, July 28 - Aug. 8, featuring 60 participant countries, and approximately 300 samples at the paralympic Parapan American Games, Aug. 12 - 19.

“Doping tests must be precise and accurate, since results can have serious repercussions on athletes’ careers,” says Francisco Radler de Aquino Neto, Ph.D., coordinator at both laboratories.

For this reason, LADETEC is equipped with sophisticated gas chromatography and mass spectrometry tools, including 16 Agilent instruments. Agilent has a long history as a world leader in these technologies and is the system supplier of choice worldwide for WADA-accredited labs, supporting such key global sporting events as the World Cup, the Olympics and the Tour de France. These Agilent systems are responsible for approximately 60 percent of LADETEC productivity during the Pan American Games. LADETEC also relies on other latest-generation Agilent instruments, including GC/HRMS, Isotopic Ratio MS, LC/MS/MS and GCxGC/TOF.

“LADETEC is proud to feature every analysis technique accredited by WADA,” explains Dr. Radler, who serves as coordinator of the laboratories for Environmental and Molecular Organic Geochemistry, Preparation of Capillary Column and Chromatography, Calibration and Residual Analysis of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s Institute of Chemistry. “For the Pan American Games, we are implementing several analysis methods for the first time; in the past, samples were sent to other laboratories for confirmation when these methods were called for.”

Agilent’s gas chromatography systems quickly produce accurate results, even when samples contain minimal concentrations of banned substances, down to a billionth of a gram. The same systems are used by other labs for homeland security applications, forensic investigation, environmental monitoring, and quality development and control in the petroleum, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.

In addition to serving as the doping testing lab for the Pan American Games, LADETEC is responsible for all doping control analyses in Brazil and for the International Championships held in Brazil. Annually, the lab analyzes more than 4,000 samples, looking for hundreds of different substances in each one.

“For doping control,” says Dr. Radler, “several screenings are performed at the same time in order to analyze the hundreds of substances potentially used by the athletes. For the Pan American Games, we will have seven preliminary screenings and more than 15 confirmatory procedures. For all suspect samples, another analysis will be performed to confirm the results.”

LADETEC and its associated laboratories are teaching labs covering high-resolution gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, organic molecular geochemistry and petroleum geochemistry, environmental air monitoring, doping control, and related analytical problems.