PhD defence: Detection of blood volume manipulations and the physiological effect hereof

An evaluation of iron biomarkers

Andreas H. Breenfeldt Andersen

PhD thesis

As prohibited blood manipulations remains a challenge for anti-doping authorities, it is important to continuously investigate and evaluate new potential detection methods.

A current need is to evaluate the potential of the iron regulatory hormones hepcidin and erythroferrone and improve the sensitivity of current detection methodologies following micro-dosing regimes in a sex-specific context as well as evaluate the impact of well-known confounding factors.

In addition, specific and sensitive biomarkers relevant in an anti-doping context may also have merit in a blood donation context, where a rapid recovery after blood donation is a priority. Finally, it is important to determine the physiological effects of the applied regimes to establish the lower limit of relevance for anti-doping authorities.

The present thesis demonstrates that iron regulatory hormones can be of high value both in a clinical setting such as blood banks as well as in an anti-doping context. However, large fluctuations in hepcidin caused by normal variation should be taken into account and limit hepcidin’s applicability in anti-doping, whereas erythroferrone shows promising results.

Future studies should continue the efforts of developing a sensitive detection method for autologous blood transfusion and EPO doping as this thesis demonstrate that both strategies are performance enhancing even in small doses. In addition, the current methodologies are challenged by such micro-dosing strategies evident by either a low sensitivity as well as a compromised specificity in altitude, which is a common situation for elite athletes.

2020, 191 pages.

Time

9 December 2020, 09:00

Place

Digital: To attend the PhD defence, follow the link and hereafter the instructions to download the required Zoom-client.

Opponents

Associate Professor Lykke Sylow (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Associate researcher Paul Robach, Ecole Nationale des Sports de Montagne, France.

Senior Clinical Lecturer and Head of biology Nicolas Leuenberger, Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses and University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Supervisor

Professor Nikolai Baastrup Nordsborg, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The thesis is available for inspection at the library, Nørre Allé 51, DK-2200 Copenhagen N.