Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2011
Current markers of the Athlete Blood Passport do not flag microdose EPO doping.
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors Confounding the Athlete Biological Passport: A Systematic Narrative Review.Sports medicine - open · 2021Pooled it
- mRNA Biomarkers in Dried Blood Spots May Improve Detection of Autologous Blood Micro-Transfusions Using an Individualized Approach.Drug testing and analysis · 2025Trial
- Blockade of Angiotensin II Receptor Type 1 Abolishes the Erythropoietin Response to Exercise.Function (Oxford, England) · 2025Trial
- Sensitivity and specificity of detection methods for erythropoietin doping in cyclists.Drug testing and analysis · 2019Trial
- Evaluation of serum markers for improved detection of autologous blood transfusions.Haematologica · 2018Trial
- Recombinant erythropoietin in humans has a prolonged effect on circulating erythropoietin isoform distribution.PloS one · 2014Trial
- Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Effects on Well-Trained Athletes' Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Use of RNA biomarkers in the antidoping field.Bioanalysis · 2024Review
- Comparison between standard hematological parameters and blood doping biomarkers in dried blood spots within the athlete population of Swiss Sport Integrity.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- The use of RNA-based 5'-aminolevulinate synthase 2 biomarkers in dried blood spots to detect recombinant human erythropoietin microdoses.Drug testing and analysis · 2022Article
- Future opportunities for the Athlete Biological Passport.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Article
- Altitude and Erythropoietin: Comparative Evaluation of Their Impact on Key Parameters of the Athlete Biological Passport: A Review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Review
- Transcriptomic Markers of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Micro-Dosing in Thoroughbred Horses.Genes · 2021Article
- Induction of erythroferrone in healthy humans by micro-dose recombinant erythropoietin or high-altitude exposure.Haematologica · 2021Article
- Perception of the Current Anti-doping Regime - A Quantitative Study Among German Top-Level Cyclists and Track and Field Athletes.Frontiers in psychology · 2018Article
- The Critical Power Model as a Potential Tool for Anti-doping.Frontiers in physiology · 2018Review
- Doping in Two Elite Athletics Competitions Assessed by Randomized-Response Surveys.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Article
- Validation of whole-blood transcriptome signature during microdose recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) administration.BMC genomics · 2017Article
- Why the war on drugs in sport will never be won.Harm reduction journal · 2015Review
- Current limitations and future perspectives of the Athlete Blood Passport.European journal of applied physiology · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The Athlete Blood Passport is the most recent tool adopted by anti-doping authorities to detect athletes using performance-enhancing drugs such as recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO). This strategy relies on detecting abnormal variations in haematological variables caused by doping, against a background of biological and analytical variability. Ten subjects were given twice weekly intravenous injections of rhEPO for up to 12 weeks. Full blood counts were measured using a Sysmex XE-2100 automated haematology analyser, and total haemoglobin mass via a carbon monoxide rebreathing test. The sensitivity of the passport to flag abnormal deviations in blood values was evaluated using dedicated Athlete Blood Passport software. Our treatment regimen elicited a 10% increase in total haemoglobin mass equivalent to approximately two bags of reinfused blood. The passport software did not flag any subjects as being suspicious of doping whilst they were receiving rhEPO. We conclude that it is possible for athletes to use rhEPO without eliciting abnormal changes in the blood variables currently monitored by the Athlete Blood Passport.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.