Doping control workflow solutions for Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has granted accreditation to the French Anti-Doping Laboratory (LADF) at the University of Paris-Saclay as one of the thirty globally authorized laboratories for conducting examinations on blood and urine samples collected for anti-doping controls. As the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games rapidly approach, Magnus Ericsson, the director of LAFD, offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the laboratory’s meticulous preparations.

“We have recently moved to our new laboratory and are now in the process of recruiting extra staff for the Olympic Games, finalizing all development work, including automation, and getting all the different security measures and organization in place. Our objective is to be fully prepared ready and fired up in the beginning of July.”

As the world eagerly awaits the gathering of 10,500 athletes from 206 nations participating in 32 sports and 329 events, the focus on reliable, precise, and rapid analysis of samples is paramount. Biotage’s commitment aligns with LADF’s mission to successfully fulfill their duty in preserving the purity of athletic competition at the world’s most celebrated sporting event. Through our partnership and expertise in sample preparation, we strive to guarantee the requisite speed and accuracy in delivering test results.

With 11 Biotage® Extrahera ™ workstations already set-up and Biotage slated to provide on-site technical support, as well as back-up instrumentation, Magnus is expecting a seamless transition to a fully automated sample preparation process.

“Moving away from manual preparation in the Olympic Games means that we are moving towards what we use in our normal routine. So, in fact, although we are new to the Olympics, we are familiar with an automated sample preparation workflow. Collaborating with Biotage service to ensure all the equipment is in its best shape, and that all the consumables and spare instrumentation needed are in place well ahead of the event is essential.”

In addition, he highlights the significance of the entire workflow, also including solid phase extraction consumables and evaporation, as a key factor in ensuring the laboratory’s success.

“For the Olympic Games we will use three main analytical methods covering more than 700 compounds, and on top of that we will use another four methods for special purposes. All these methods are based on sample preparation using solid-phase extraction with the Extrahera platform and TurboVap® evaporators. The automation brings relief for the staff, as well as increases quality and security by minimizing manual handling and potential errors.”

This article is from Biotage Annual Report 2023 – you can read the whole report here.