Partnership For Clean Competition

09/04/2026

Buying supplements online comes with a real risk of exposure to prohibited substances through undisclosed ingredients or contamination.

Researchers used advanced analytic techniques to identify an unknown compound found in an online supplement. The compound was determined to be 6-Bromo-androst-4-en-3,17-dione (6-BrAED), a designer steroid. Though not expressly named on WADA's prohibited list, this drug is still prohibited at all times since it has no approved therapeutic uses.

https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.70105

09/02/2026

Increasing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, sensitivity, specificity, and sustainability are key goals as the field anti-doping continues to evolve. In line with these goals, researchers applied the Bar Adsorptive MicroExtraction method to identify co***ne and 3 metabolites in human urine.

The approach used minimal toxic solvents, and it was highly selective, sensitive, and had lower interference than other methods. Importantly, Bar Adsorptive MicroExtraction meets all WADA technical requirements.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-60958-0

09/01/2026

Can a new high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) approach improve detection of small molecule doping agents? Don’t miss our latest podcast episode with Dr. Kara Lynch where she discusses work establishing HRMS as a method for doping analysis, as well as her plans to build upon existing HRMS methods to improve specificity and sensitivity. Kara is a professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and a recipient of PCC funding.

Listen to the full episode here:
https://cleancompetition.org/anti-doping-podcast/179

08/31/2026

The field of anti-doping requires collaborations and contributions from a wide range of experts, including sport psychologists.

In this recent paper, Dr. Susan Backhouse and Dr. Laurie Patterson provide an overview of how decades of psychological research has enhanced our understanding of doping in sport. They describe scientific advances, challenges, and important areas for future research.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029225002328

08/28/2026

Sample manipulation is one method that athletes have used to avoid being caught doping. For example synthetic urine may be used as a substitute or to dilute an authentic urine sample that may otherwise test positive for prohibited substances. To close this gap, researchers examined different approaches for detecting synthetic urine.

While all approaches could flag pure synthetic urine, elemental analyzer isotope ratio mass spectrometry had advantages over the others. This approach could be used to complement current anti-doping analyses to identify synthetic or manipulated urine samples and confirm sample authenticity.

https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.70106

Senior author Dr. Mario Thevis has previously received PCC funding to support his research.

08/27/2026

We’re two years away from the Opening Ceremony of the 2028 Paralympic Games! This will be the first ever Paralympics hosted in Los Angeles. The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games saw nearly 2,700 samples collected, with athletes from 112 out of 169 delegations tested at least once. LA28 is shaping up to be a record-breaking games with 4,500 Para athletes from 165 National Paralympic Committees projected to compete. The following article by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) shares some other exciting highlights to look out for on the road to LA28.

Read the full article here: LA28 Paralympics to be the best yet for sport performance

08/26/2026

Multi-step sample preparation and analysis workflows add time and cost to anti-doping analyses. Researchers developed and validated a rapid, streamlined, and harmonized workflow for the detection of 54 prohibited substances in dried blood spots, serum, and plasma.

Their work also highlighted that all compounds examined remained stable and detectable for at least two months in dried blood samples without cold storage. Use of dried blood spot sampling could help preserve sample integrity during transport and reduce shipping costs.

https://pubs.rsc.org/an/article-abstract/151/15/4398/1265269/Rapid-and-harmonized-analytical-workflow-for-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Senior author Dr. Peter Van Eenoo has previously received PCC funding to support his research.

08/25/2026

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) is a critical tool for identifying and differentiating small molecules in anti-doping analyses. In our new podcast episode, we talk with PCC grant recipient Dr. Kara Lynch. Kara received funding in 2014 for her project on advancing the use of HRMS for doping analysis through standardization and optimization. She is now beginning a new project focused on addressing some of the limitations of HRMS to enhance specificity and sensitivity.

Listen to the full episode here:
https://cleancompetition.org/anti-doping-podcast/179

UCSF UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Dr. Kara Lynch is a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She is also Co-Director of the Core Clinical Laboratory at San Francisco General Hospital overseeing Chemistry and Toxicology, and she is Director of Chemistry at UCSF Childre...

08/24/2026

Mark your calendars: our full application deadline is quickly approaching. If you submitted an LOI/Pre-Application and were invited to submit a full application, be sure to log in and complete your application by September 1. If you missed the deadline for this round, LOIs for our spring application cycle will open on September 2 and are due February 1. Full applications can be submitted using the link below.

Submit your application here:
https://proposalcentral.com/review/Login.asp

08/21/2026

In anti-doping samples, it can be difficult to distinguish steroids with similar molecular structures, such as aldosterone and cortisone. Researchers demonstrated how cryogenic gas-phase infrared spectroscopy can allow scientists to identify and distinguish steroids with very similar structures when an ion mobility approach could not.

https://pubs.acs.org/amachv/article/6/3/765/5232672/Steroid-Fingerprinting-with-Cryogenic-Gas-Phase