(Press-News.org) Changmin Sung, a principal researcher at the Doping Control Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), announced that he and his collaborators at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Korea University have developed a high-throughput multiplexed gene and cell doping analysis (HiMDA) based on gene scissors (CRISPR-Cas).
Unethical doping practices to enhance athletic performance is becoming more sophisticated with the use of advanced technology, and gene and cell doping - the use of gene or cell therapies to manipulate body functions - poses a serious threat to fairness in sports. Gene-based drugs such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and erythropoietin (EPO), which can maximize strength and endurance, are likely to be abused by athletes in some sports as a means of performance enhancement. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has prohibited this practice since 2003, but diagnostic techniques that can accurately identify gene and cell doping are still in early stage.
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based gene testing has been piloted at the Tokyo Summer Olympics since the World Anti-Doping Agency first published guidelines for genetic doping in 2021. Current protein-level doping analytical methods cannot clearly distinguish between exogenous genetic targets that produces proteins structurally identical to endogenous proteins. This has led to the need for new analytical platforms that can distinguish exogenous genes at the DNA level.
The HiMDA directly amplifies the target gene from the blood without complex sample preparation, and then applies CRISPR-Cas, the Nobel Prize-winning gene editing technology to determine the presence of the exogenous gene rapidly and precisely. By injecting representative gene doping substances such as hGH, EPO, IGF-I into an experimental mouse model and applying the assay platform, the researchers were able to accurately detect exogenous genes at the 2.5 copies within 90 minutes using as little as 5 μL (microliters) of blood sample, less than half the size of a fingertip drop. This demonstrated superior performance in both sensitivity and specificity compared to existing assays.
The developed assay is not limited to doping tests, but is considered to be a platform-based diagnostic technology that can be applied to early diagnosis of infectious diseases, detection of antibiotic resistance genes, genetic disease testing, evaluation of cell therapy drug adaptability, and precision medicine. Currently, the technology is undergoing the certification process to be adopted as a World Anti-Doping Agency-approved method, and is attracting attention as a next-generation anti-doping testing platform that can respond to various new doping methods based on genes and proteins.
"By applying gene editing technology to doping tests, this study provides a practical solution that can overcome the limitations of existing techniques and contribute to protecting sports ethics and fairness," said Changmin Sung, a principal researcher at KIST. "It has the potential to develop into a core foundation for precision medicine and genetic diagnostic technologies in the future."
###
KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://www.kist.re.kr/eng/index.do
This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) under the KIST Institutional Program and the World Anti-Doping Agency Research Support Program (241E07CS). The findings were published in the latest issue of the international journal Science Advances (IF 12.5, JCR top 8.5%).
END
Developing next-generation analytical technique for gene and cell doping and ensuring ethics and fairness in sports
Using gene scissors to develop a rapid gene and cell doping detection test
2025-07-30
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Debunking a life-threatening myth: "Tongue swallowing prevention" maneuvers delay CPR and might contribute to brain injury or death for collapsed athletes
2025-07-30
Philadelphia, July 30, 2025 – Despite widespread public health efforts, the dangerous myth of "prevention of tongue swallowing" continues to persist during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). New research in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, exposes the mainstream and social media’s detrimental role in perpetuating this misconception, which often leads to critical delays in proper CPR for collapsed athletes.
Concern about “tongue swallowing” leads resuscitators to waste valuable time trying ...
Female pilots perform better under pressure, study finds
2025-07-30
Female pilots may outperform their male counterparts in high-pressure flight situations, according to a new study led by University of Waterloo researchers.
The findings challenge traditional assumptions in aviation and suggest that women pilots may have unique strengths that could be better recognized in pilot training and evaluation systems.
“These findings are exciting because they push us to rethink how we evaluate pilots,” said Naila Ayala, lead author of the study and postdoctoral fellow ...
Hydroquinone-buffered covalent organic frameworks for long-term photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production
2025-07-30
Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is an essential eco-friendly oxidant, but its conventional anthraquinone-based production is energy-intensive and generates hazardous waste. Photocatalysis offers a sustainable, solar-driven alternative. Organic polymer photocatalysts, notably covalent organic frameworks (COFs), have gained attention due to their tunable structures, earth-abundant elements, and visible-light responsiveness. Although recent advances (e.g., polarity-optimized, fluorinated, or sulfone-containing COFs) have improved H₂O₂ yields and extended stability to 336 hours, long-term durability remains limited. Most systems exhibit reaction times of less than 200 hours ...
From coal to chemicals: Breakthrough syngas catalysis powers green industrial future
2025-07-30
Two decades-long catalytic journey has borne industrial fruit—greener, cleaner, and smarter. Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) and heterogeneous hydroformylation are two cornerstone processes in modern chemical manufacturing. They convert syngas (a mixture of CO and H₂, typically derived from coal or biomass) into hydrocarbons and oxygenates that underpin fuel, plastics, and pharmaceutical industries. Yet for over a century, challenges in selectivity, catalyst longevity, and process integration have limited their broader industrial deployment—until now.
In a newly published account in Chinese Journal of ...
AI detects the stiffness of cancer cell exosomes: DGIST develops deep learning-based lung cancer diagnostic technology
2025-07-30
□ The research team led by Senior Researchers Yoonhee Lee from the Division of Biomedical Technology and Gyogwon Koo from the Division of Intelligent Robot at DGIST (under President Kunwoo Lee) has developed a technology that distinguishes lung cancer gene mutations solely by measuring the “stiffness” of exosomes—tiny particles released from cancer cells in the bloodstream—using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Their study enables rapid and precise analysis of individual exosomes and is expected to advance into a new liquid biopsy-based diagnostic technique for lung cancer.
□ Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type ...
Positive ethnic identity fosters STEM career aspirations
2025-07-30
When Black and Latino youth aspire toward careers in science and technology, their confidence in exploring career possibilities and how they think society views their ethnic-racial group can play a crucial role in whether their dreams take root.
Such is a finding of a study by UC Riverside associate professor of psychology Aerika Brittian Loyd, UCR doctoral candidate Tate LeBlanc, and co-authors published in the Journal for STEM Education Research.
Middle and high school students who voiced higher expectations of success in exploring different career paths — along with perceptions that their racial ...
Wildlife show wide range of responses to human presence in U.S. national parks
2025-07-30
The presence of humans and human infrastructure in U.S. national parks has lasting effects on the behaviours of the large animals that call them home, according to a new study.
“Wildlife all around the world fear people and avoid areas of high human activity, but it was surprising to see that this holds true even in more remote protected areas,” said Dr. Kaitlyn Gaynor, a zoologist at the University of British Columbia and lead author of the paper published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Researchers tracked 229 animals from 10 species across 14 national parks and protected areas using GPS collar data from 2019 to 2020, ...
Great Tits show early signs of splitting up: Oxford researchers uncover social clues to bird 'divorce'
2025-07-30
In a discovery that deepens our understanding of animal social bonds, a study led by University of Oxford researchers in collaboration with the University of Leeds has demonstrated that wild great tits exhibit clear behaviours signalling ‘divorce’ long before the breeding season. The findings, published today (30 July) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, provide valuable new insights into how animals navigate complex social decisions. provide valuable new insights into how animals navigate complex social decisions.
For monogamous birds that only bond with one partner at a time, ...
From the lab to the hand: nanodevice brings personalized genomics closer to reality
2025-07-30
Osaka, Japan – DNA holds the instructions that make us who we are. If we want to read those instructions, say to understand our predisposition to genetic disorders, we need to carefully ‘unzip’ DNA’s iconic double-helix structure. This is neither easy nor fast, and the process involves intense heating and chemicals that can damage the DNA.
Now, in a new study published in ACS Nano, a research team led by The University of Osaka has developed a novel technology for making the unzipping process much easier. Their invention uses a miniature heater to precisely and gently unzip the DNA double helix.
The device uses a nano-sized platinum coil. As the DNA strand reaches ...
Women politicians receive more identity-based attacks on social media than men, study finds
2025-07-30
Women politicians in Europe receive uncivil tweets regardless of how known they are – and woman also receive more identity-based attacks than other politicians, revealed a new study in Politics & Gender, published on behalf of the American Political Science Association by Cambridge University Press.
This study used a machine learning approach to analyse over 23 million tweets addressed to politicians in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to determine the degree of incivility that female politicians face. Women in politics frequently report serious online harassment, yet the extent of this harassment and how it compares ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk
Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure
One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons
Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults
Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis
Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine
High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults
Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region
New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers
CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients
Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock
Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes
High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes
All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?
Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’
Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite
Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy
Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds
Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology
World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function
Capturing language change through the genes
Public trust in elections increases with clear facts
Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age
New DNA test reveals plants’ hidden climate role
Retinitis pigmentosa mouse models reflect pathobiology of human RP59
Cell’s ‘antenna’ could be key to curing diseases
Tiny ocean partnership between algae and bacteria reveals secrets of evolution
Scientists uncover cellular “toolkit” to reprogram immune cells for cancer therapy
Blocking protein control pathway slows rhabdomyosarcoma growth in mice
2026 Hertz Fellowship Application Now Open
[Press-News.org] Developing next-generation analytical technique for gene and cell doping and ensuring ethics and fairness in sportsUsing gene scissors to develop a rapid gene and cell doping detection test