Magyar Antidopping Csoport

WADA invites applications for research projects on the development of DBS testing

MEDIA RELEASE

WADA INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRIED BLOOD SPOT TESTING

Montreal, 30 June 2020 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – along with several stakeholders including the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) – announces a Request for Applications (RFA) on the development of dried blood spot (DBS) testing.

This RFA is connected to the announcement made by WADA on 3 October 2019, which outlined that the Agency was collaborating with Anti-Doping Organizations from around the world to further the development and implementation of this exciting method for drug testing in sport.
 
In this context, and for the further development of DBS testing, this RFA for targeted research projects identifies the following relevant areas of research in the development of DBS as a new sample type for anti-doping testing:

  1. Discovery and/or validation of new discriminant biomarkers or biomarkers of confounding factors of the haematological module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) in DBS;
  2. Study of the potential advantages of turning to dried plasma spots instead of DBS for testing for prohibited substances; and
  3. Development and validation of a new analytical method for the detection and quantification of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in DBS.

To submit applications, individuals are asked to create an account on the WADAGrants platform.

Please note that this RFA has different objectives, timelines and eligibility criteria from the RFA released by WADA and the Fonds de recherche du Québec on 17 June 2020 for targeted research projects that aim to develop biomarkers of doping.

The deadline for proposal submission is 31 August 2020 (24:00 GMT).

For further information, please contact WADA’s DBS Project Manager, Léonie Egli at: DBS@wada-ama.org.

– ENDS –