The PCC prides itself in being an international research collaborative, with no regional barriers for scientific funding. Investigators from all over the world have applied for PCC grants, and those from 14 countries (so far) have been awarded grants, micro-grants, fellowships, and/or working group funds.

Which countries have we funded so far?

The following map highlights countries with successful PCC applicants (click to enlarge). An alphabetical list follows.

Australia

Researchers in Australia have received 14% of PCC grants since 2008 – the largest percentage outside of the US. Several important projects have been researched and implemented by Australian investigators, including the 2015-present creation and distribution of reference materials for WADA-Accredited anti-doping laboratories by Dr. Armishaw and Dr. Davies of the National Measurement Institute (NMI) Australia.

Austria

Austrian researcher Dr. Reichel and his team at Seibersdorf Laboratories near Vienna are currently studying the detection of EPO micro doses using optimized SAR-PAGE (or SARCOSYL, a methyl glycine-based anionic surfactant).

Belgium

Head of the DoCoLab, Belgium’s WADA-Accredited Anti-Doping Lab at the University of Ghent, Dr. Peter Van Eenoo and his team have received four PCC grants since 2009. Research topics include detection of SR9009, SR9011, and EPO, doping analysis via GC-CI-MS/MS, and detection of designer steroids via the , which discerned metabolic pathways for anabolic agents. PCC funded research by Dr. Van Eenoo, Dr. Polet, and Dr. Geldof has resulted in more than 15 publications and presentations to date.

Canada

Six investigators representing Canadian institutions have received PCC funding since 2009, including researchers in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec. Most recently, Dr. Desharnais of Canada’s WADA Accredited Anti-Doping Laboratory at INRS Sante was funded to study a Capillary-Electrophoresis Method for EPO detection alongside Laboratory Director Dr. Christiane Ayotte. Canada’s largest PCC Grant of $400,000 was awarded to Dr. Harynuk and Dr. West of the University of Alberta in 2016, where they are currently working to develop real time screening methods for novel designer PEDs.

Denmark

Dr. Nikolai Nordsborg of the University of Copenhagen has received two PCC awards for his work investigating detection of autologous blood transfusions by metabolomics (2015) and the detection of Testosterone Ester and Insulin using Dried Blood Spot technology (2016). While Dr. Nordsborg’s 2015 project has already resulted in two publications in peer reviewed journals, both projects are still in progress.

Germany

Investigators in Germany have received 10% of PCC Grant awards since 2009, with 10 unique projects being funded. Dr. Mario Thevis of the German Sport University Cologne has received the bulk of the awards with four individual projects, as well as participating in the PCC’s IGF-1 Working Group. Dr. Thevis was responsible for the frequently cited Mildronate/Meldonium research, and is currently performing studies related to a breath testing technology that has the potential to help sporting leagues perform rapid, noninvasive, and reliable in-competition PED testing.

Germany’s most recent PCC award was to Dr. Kristina Parr of the Freie Universität Berlin, who received a PCC Micro-Grant in 2016 to create reference materials for Oral Turinabol.

Ireland

Dr. Pauline Rudd, a glycobiologist working at NIBRT has received two PCC grants for studies related to EPO, including a 2014 project surrounding the characterisation of “9 Biosimilar Recombinant Alpha Erythropoietins”.

Italy

Two PCC awards have been granted to researchers in Rome, including a 2016 grant to Dr. Gaetano Cairo at the University of Milan. Dr. Cairo and team begin research in June 2017 to investigate ERFE as a marker for EPO abuse in the Athlete Biological Passport.

Russia

One PCC award was granted to Dr. Svetlana Appolosa at Moscow’s Anti-Doping Center in 2010 which resulted in presentations at four international conference symposiums in 2012.

Spain

Two grant awards and one PCC Micro-Grant have been awarded to researchers in Spain. Dr. Rodriguo Aguilera was awarded a PCC grant while working at the Madrid Anti-Doping Laboratory to develop and validate a methodology for the detection of synthetic forms of Endogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids in urine samples by GC-C-IRMS. The results of the research were presented by Dr. Aguilera and his team at the 2016 Latino-Americano Conference on Chromatography.

Sweden

Home to the prominent Karolinska Institutet, Swedish researchers have received two PCC Grants. Dr. Lena Ekstrom spoke at the 35th Manfred Donike Workshop regarding her 2016 “Testosterone Codeine Interaction Study”, and is in the process of publishing her results. Dr. Jenny Schulze saw great success with her 2012 research “Longitudinal Steroid Profiling and Androgen Disposition in Women,” which sought to determine the effects of female menstruation and/or hormonal contraceptives on Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) results. Dr. Schulze and team produced two publications in peer reviewed journals, and presented their results at the 2014 Manfred Donike Workshop, including their finding that administration of emergency contraceptives may lead to suspicious steroid profile findings in the ABP.

Switzerland

Two scientists from the Swiss Laboratory for Anti-Doping Analyses are PCC Grant recipients: Dr. Thomas Piper, whose 2011 project determining 2H/1H ratios of Endogenous Urinary Steroids resulted in a new method supporting modern sports drug testing procedures, as well as three publications in peer reviewed journals and four presentations at international conferences. Dr. Nicolas Leuenberger studied circulating microRNAs in 2010, and provided proof of concept for using longitudinal measurements of circulating miRNAs as efficient new biomarkers for detecting PED abuse within the context of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).

United Kingdom

Great Britain is the PCC’s fourth highest recipient nation, having received 9% of grants since 2009. Dr. David Cowan, Head of the WADA-Accredited Drug Control Center at King’s College London is the most frequent recipient with three unique grant awards, as well as being a PCC IGF-1 Working Group collaborator. Dr. David Cowan is also the mentor of the PCC’s newest Fellow, Dr. Liying Jiang, a post-doc with a degree in analytical chemistry who is currently performing research to advance detection methods for PEDs.

United States

With 43% of grant awards, the US remains the largest recipient nation of PCC grants. Dr. Daniel Eichner, Head of SMRTL at the University of Utah has received the most PCC grants of any US individual, with 12 grants and micro-grants. Dr. Eichner’s awards include three PCC Center of Excellence awards, which provide WADA-Accredited laboratories with world class equipment to perform anti-doping research (as well as routine testing for PCC Sponsors). His research interests include detection of steroids, investigation of dried blood spot technologies in the context of the Hematological Passport, and Trestostelone testing, among other projects. Dr. Eichner is also a collaborator on two PCC Working Groups: IGF-1 and Oral Fluids, and was the mentor to PCC Fellow Dr. Geoff Miller, currently Research and Laboratory Manager at SMRTL. Dr. Eichner has published and presented his work frequently, and is seen as one of the pre-eminent scientists in the anti-doping sphere.

 

We invite you to browse our full list of awards to keep abreast of the incredible research the PCC funds to deter and detect PED usage around the world.