LONG-TERM LABORATORY MONITORING IN SPORTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-7684/2026-2-16Keywords:
athlete biological passport, laboratory methods, biochemical and physiological status, functional state of an organism, doping biomarkers, long-term physiological effects of dopingAbstract
Introduction. In modern sports medicine, the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is a tool for integrating information technologies to monitor the functional state of an athlete’s organism. Unlike traditional doping control, the ABP is based on the detection of indirect markers and physiological consequences of the usage of prohibited substances, which allows the creation of a personalized “digital profile” of the athlete. Objective. To examine the structure and functional capabilities of the hematological, steroid, and endocrine modules of the ABP, as well as to assess the advantages and challenges of implementing individual biological norms into the practice of modern laboratory support for sport. Materials and Methods. A systematic analysis of scientific sources and regulatory documents of WADA and NADC was conducted. The search was carried out in the Google Scholar, PubMed, and Medline databases. Results. It has been established that ABP effectively differentiates natural variations in an organism resulting from doping manipulations using three modules. The hematological module tracks 14 markers of erythropoiesis, the steroid module analyzes endogenous hormone levels in urine and blood, and the newest endocrine module focuses on growth hormone markers. The key challenges remain the transition from general population norms to individual reference intervals, the influence of gender characteristics on indicator variability, and the risk of falsepositive results due to pathologies. Conclusions. ABP is an innovative system that ensures the objectivity of anti-doping control through long-term monitoring. Further development of the system is linked to the introduction of artificial intelligence and the development of new, specific biomarkers, which will increase the accuracy of detecting microdoses of prohibited substances.
References
Mahendru D, Kumaravel J, Mahalmani VM, Medhi B. Athlete Biological Passport: Need and Challenges. Indian J Orthop. 2020 Jan 31;54(3):264-270. Available from: https://doi:10.1007/s43465-020-00040-7
Antydopingovi pravyla NADTs 2024 [Anti-doping rules of NADC 2024]. Kyiv; 2024. 77 p. (in Ukrainian).
Bordiuhova H. Biolohichnyi pasport sportsmena. Istoriia, rozsliduvannia pravoporushen ta provedennia dystsyplinarnykh vprovadzhen antydopingovymy orhanizatsiiamy [Athlete biological passport. History, investigation of offenses and disciplinary proceedings by anti-doping organizations]. Kyiv; 2024. 57 p. (in Ukrainian)
Sottas PE, Robinson N, Saugy M. The athlete’s biological passport and indirect markers of blood doping. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2010;(195):305–326. Available from: https://doi:10.1007/978-3-540-79088-4_14
Badrick T. Biological variation: Understanding why it is so important?. Pract Lab Med. 2021;23:e00199. Available from: https://doi:10.1016/j.plabm.2020.e00199
World Anti-Doping Agency. Athlete Biological Passport Operating Guidelines. Version 9.0. Montreal: WADA; 2023.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Who We Are [Internet]. Montreal: WADA; [cited 2025 Feb 03]. Available from: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/who-we-are
Frontiers Production Office. Erratum: Future opportunities for the athlete biological passport. Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1173479. Available from: https://doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1173479
Krumm B, Lundby C, Hansen J, Bejder J, Sørensen H, Equey T, et al. Yearly intrasubject variability of hematological biomarkers in elite athletes for the Athlete Biological Passport. Drug Test Anal. 2024;16(11):1285–1294. Available from: https://doi:10.1002/dta.3645
Mullen J, Baekken L, Bergström H, Björkhem Bergman L, Ericsson M, Ekström L. Fluctuations in hematological athlete biological passport biomarkers in relation to the menstrual cycle. Drug Test Anal. 2020;12(9):1229–1240. Available from: https://doi:10.1002/dta.2873.
Ponzetto F, Mehl F, Boccard J, Baume N, Rudaz S, Saugy M, et al. Longitudinal monitoring of endogenous steroids in human serum by UHPLC-MS/MS as a tool to detect testosterone abuse in sports. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2016;408(3):705–719. Available from: https://doi:10.1007/s00216-015-9185-1
Nair VS, Husk J, Miller GD, et al. Otsinka pozdovzhnoho profiliuvannia steroyidiv za dopomohoyu adaptyvnoyi modeli ADAMS dlya vyyavlennya transdermalnoho, vnutrishnom’yazovoho ta pidshkirnoho vvedennya testosteronu [Evaluation of longitudinal steroid profiling using the ADAMS adaptive model to detect transdermal, intramuscular and subcutaneous testosterone administration]. Drug Test Anal. 2020;12:1419-1431 (in Ukrainian).
de la Torre X, Jardines D, Botrè F. Evaluation of longitudinal (13)C IRMS data in antidoping analysis. Drug Test Anal. 2022;14(11-12):1914-1927. Available from: https://doi:10.1002/dta.3339
Ericsson M, Bhuiyan H, Yousif B, Lehtihet M, Ekström L. The intra-individual stability of GH biomarkers IGF-I and P-III-NP in relation to GHRH administration, menstrual cycle, and hematological parameters. Drug Test Anal. 2020;12(11):1620–1628. Available from: https://doi:10.1002/dta.2953
Saugy M, Lundby C, Robinson N. Monitoring of biological markers indicative of doping: the athlete biological passport. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(10):827-832. Available from: https://doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-093512
Dragčević D, Pandžić Jakšić V, Jakšić O. Athlete biological passport: longitudinal biomarkers and statistics in the fight against doping. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2024;75(1):24-31. https://doi:10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3793.
Piper T, Geyer H, Haenelt N, Huelsemann F, Schaenzer W, Thevis M. Current Insights into the Steroidal Module of the Athlete Biological Passport. Int J Sports Med. 2021;42(10):863–878. Available from: https://doi:10.1055/a-1481-8683
Tikhonova MA. Shchodo obmezhennia prava sportsmeniv na svobodu peresuvannia [Regarding the restriction of the athletes’ right to freedom of movement]. In: Problemy tsyvilnoho prava ta protsesu [Problems of civil law and process]. Kharkiv; 2017. p. 220-222. (in Ukrainian).
Heta AV. Dopinh yak nevyrishuvana problema u sporti vyshchykh dosiahnen [Doping as an unsolvable problem in highperformance sports]. In: Modern Scientific Research: Theoretical and Practical Aspects: Proceedings of the XXII International Scientific and Practical Conference. p. 209-213. (in Ukrainian).
Krumm B, Botrè F, Saugy JJ, Faiss R. Future opportunities for the Athlete Biological Passport. Front Sports Act Living. 2022;4:986. Available from: https://doi:10.3389/fspor.2022.986875
