Measurement Journal Issue 6

reagent. The ﬂuorescence background of FITC obscures a large portion of the baseline, making it difﬁcult to detect the analytes at low concentration. We recently discovered that on-capillary derivatization of the amino group of EPO’s lysine residues with the ﬂuorogenic dye 5-furoylquinoline-3-carboxaldehyde (FQ) offers a fast and easy method of derivatizing EPO. For this research, a plug of FQ solution was ﬁrst loaded into the capillary followed by an injection of the EPO sample. Applying a relatively low voltage of –3 kV for ﬁve minutes allowed the sample to mix and then react with the ﬂuorescence dye. A high separation voltage of up to –30 kV was next applied across the capillary to achieve separation of the EPO isoforms in 20 minutes. With continued improvements in analytical instrumentation and the hard work of analytical chemists, one can be assured that the detection sensitivity and speciﬁcity of recombinant EPO will only get better over time. However, in the ﬁght against illegal sports doping, another challenge comes from the short half-life of recombinant EPO in the human body. After the recombinant EPO injection, the hormone only presents in the urine or blood for a few days. The effect of an EPO injection, on the other hand, lasts much longer. In fact, if an athlete decides to take an injection of recombinant EPO a few days prior to a sporting event, by the time the event starts it is already impossible to detect the substance in the athlete’s body. The detection of recombinant EPO is therefore most useful in out-of-competition testing when the samples are collected during unannounced visits prior to the sporting event.5 Conclusion Because of its ability to boost endurance and defy detection after just a few days, recombinant EPO is gaining popularity within the professional sports community. By uncovering the biomarkers associated with an EPO injection, researchers hope to one day be able to successfully detect EPO doping in blood and urine. While this approach must understandably involve large numbers of samples and therefore be extremely painstaking, the prospect that it will one day result in the discovery of long-lasting biomarkers which can be used to measure EPO doping presents an exciting prospect — one that continues to drive our research efforts forward. References 1. Parisotto, R. et al. 2000. Haematologica, Volume 85, 2000: 564-572. 2. Cotes P.M., Downing M.R., Oliver D.O., Pippard M.J., Reid C. and Winearls C.G. 1986. Lancet, 2 (8517), November 1986: 1175-1186. 3. Ceaurriz, J. de and Lanse, L. 2000. Nature, Volume 405, 2000: 635. 4. Yang, X., Zhang, L., Fu, X., Yin, H., Liao, Y. and Liu, H. 2008. Anal. Bioanal. Chem., in revision. 5. Abbott, A. 2000. Nature, Volume 407, 2000: 125. Trust: The foundation for a successful collaboration Hongfeng Yin My initial collaboration with Professor Liu from Peking University dates back to the early 1990s when I was setting up a customer training center at Agilent China (formerly HP China). Our friendship continued after I joined Agilent Labs (formerly HP Labs) in the United States. Professor Liu has been collaborating with Agilent China ever since. I feel fortunate that we were able to receive a research grant from the Agilent Technologies Foundation to support Professor Liu’s team of bright, young students as they work on such an exciting and challenging project — a project that may one day change the face of EPO doping as we now know it. Agilent Measurement Journal 64

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Measurement Journal Issue 6

Measurement Journal Issue 6 Using a Few Words to Convey a Deeply-Held Spirit Charting a Unique Path to Technology Innovation Contents Announcing First Commercial GC/MS Metabolites Library Assessing Nonlinear Behavior Testing Combines Form and Function Testing Multiplay Networks Higher Sensitivity LC/MS Easing Military Radio Test Stepping Up Calibration Accuracy Increasing Spectrum Analyzer Bandwidth 3GPP Tool Supports TS 36 Standards The Olympic Story Spotlights Agilent's Continuing Contribution to Technology Innovation Ensuring a Level Playing Field in Competitive Sports GPS: Coming of Age Resolving Design Issues in HSPA Mobile Devices Achieving Accurate Results with Oscilloscope-Based Jitter-Analysis Software RF Handheld Testers Guarantee Traffic Stability Under Olympic-Sized Stress Conditions Utilizing LAN-Based Instrumentation to Measure Total Harmonic Distortion in Remote Facilities IMT-Advanced: 4G Wireless Takes Shape in an Olympic Year EPO Doping: A Speed Engine, Turbo-Charged by Chemistry

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