 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Volunteers needed Australia trying to develop tests for erythropoietin
Posted: Friday January 07, 2000 10:31 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is seeking volunteers to take the banned performance-enhancing drug erythropoietin (EPO) as it tries to develop test for it ahead of the Sydney Olympics. In collaboration with the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, the AIS is calling for 120 fit and frequent sport-playing men and women aged between 18 and 35 to take EPO for 14 weeks and be monitored to determine the effects of the synthetic hormone on athletes. EPO boosts performance by increasing the number of red blood cells, which enables the blood to carry oxygen. The call for volunteers follows a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) late last year to provide about a million dollars towards validating a method of testing for the drug, which is undetectable in urine samples. The Australian government has also pledged the same amount to the program. EPO has been linked to the deaths of a number of European cyclists as it thickens the blood and causes heart failure. Dr. Ross Smith, director of AIS Sport Sciences, said the volunteers will be at no risk during the trial. "[Small doses] could see minor ailments like hypertension or flu-like symptoms, but if someone takes EPO in an unsupervised manner then it could lead to death," Smith said. "EPO clogs up the system, the blood becomes very thick and can't be pumped around by the heart. "But this [trial] has been through out ethics committee, the dose which has been decided upon is a very low level, and if there is any doubt that will be identified during the initial medical screening program, as well as through any monitoring that we do." Smith said the dosage to be given to volunteers is well below amounts taken by people who have a genuine medical condition which requires EPO. The AIS is hoping a broad cross-section of the community representing a range of ethnic groups will participate in the study.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
