Doping from WOUNDS in the journal Science
RAN failed doping control
Science magazine made a mistake, accusing Russian scientists of creating a new dopingNadezhda Markina, Nikolay Podorvanyuk, "Gazeta.
Drawing attention to a publication in the journal Science, which talked about how German journalists received a new Russian doping from a scientist from the Russian Academy of Sciences, "Gazeta.Ru" tried to understand the situation and came to the conclusion that the doping in question is not new and not Russian.
On the opening day of the Olympic Games in Sochi, a note titled "New Doping Substance May Be Circulating in Sochi" appeared on the website of the journal Science under the heading ScienceInsider. The article told about the investigation conducted by the journalists of WDR (the German broadcasting company of North Rhine–Westphalia, the central office is located in Cologne): an unnamed scientist from the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow offered them for €100 thousand 100 mg of a biologically active substance called "full-size MGF" (full-size MGF), which it can be used as a dope.
Neither the Science material nor the original WDR (WDR Research Questions Russia's Doping Campaign) press release specified whether the journalists paid the Russian scientist, but they had a sample of this substance, and they gave it to the anti-doping control specialist Mario Tevis from the German Sports University in Cologne for analysis. He identified it as MGF – mechanical growth factor, a protein that is a variant of IGF-1 – insulin-like growth factor. The biological effect of this substance is enhanced growth of muscle tissue, activation of muscle stem cells, restoration of muscle tissue after damage.
As Mario Tevis explained to ScienceInsider journalists, the MGF protein is encoded by the same IGF-1 gene as the insulin–like growth factor, but in the process of splicing MGF – cutting out excess pieces from the matrix RNA – another variant is formed - isoform 4. Its formation increases when muscle tissue is stressed.
According to him, the shadow market of dietary supplements produces drugs called MGF, which are used to build muscle mass. But the difference is that these jars contain a short peptide (from a small number of amino acids), which is only the end of a complete protein molecule. Recent studies have shown that the biological activity of short MGF is small in contrast to full-sized MGF. It is the full-size MGF contained in the sample obtained by German journalists.
According to Mario Tevis, full-size MGF cannot be detected in the body by immunochemistry or mass spectrometry methods used in doping control.
He claims that there are currently no clinical studies of this substance and the long-term consequences of taking it are unpredictable. So MGF is potentially dangerous.
WADA is afraid at first, then quiteWDR journalists quoted the words of the Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), David Houman, who called the story told to him a crime.
"I am shocked that scientists can offer a substance that has never been studied in humans. Athletes in this case act as experimental animals," he said. Houman, however, does not expect that the Olympic Games in Sochi will be free of doping. He has no doubt that many athletes will take banned substances, hoping that they will not be detected.
Interestingly, Houman made these statements no later than February 2 (this is the date of the WDR material), and on February 5, at a press conference in Sochi, a WADA official said that the agency was satisfied with the Russian anti-doping program. And a similar statement was made a few days after it became known about the positive doping test of one of the strongest Russian biathletes Irina Starykh, who was forced to miss the Olympics in Sochi.
The WDR publication noted that at the Sochi Olympics, specialists will have to take 2,453 samples for doping: this is more than at any Winter Olympic Games.
WADA itself has known about MGF for a long timeContact WDR journalists and Mario Tevis "Newspaper.
Ru" failed operationally. Russian experts commented on the situation.
As explained to the "Newspaper.Ru" a specialist in the field of sports medicine, who wished to remain anonymous, mechanical growth factor (MGF) has long been known (and not only among professional athletes, but also among amateurs).
The difference between a full-sized protein and a short peptide is that MGF is in the form of a large molecule inside the cell, and when it enters the bloodstream it is cut into pieces, and the peptide floats in the blood. It is an expensive substance, like all recombinant proteins and peptides. Its price is about €1 thousand per 1 mg, so it cannot be in muscle building supplements. So is growth hormone. Growth hormone supplements are advertised, but in fact it's all a duck, because growth hormone is also a very expensive protein.
Source "Gazeta.Ru" stressed that MGF is included in the list of prohibited drugs on the WADA website (this is stated on the fourth page of the relevant document), as well as IGF-1. And for all the drugs that are on this list, regardless of their form, there are methods of determination, otherwise they would not have been included in this list.
"There are no problems in identifying this substance""Newspaper.
Ru" contacted the executive director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) Nikita Kamaev, who is currently in Sochi.
– Can you comment on the story told by the journalists of the German TV channel WDR in the journal Science?
– Well, firstly, when some publication writes about some professor who sold something to some journalists, I do not give comments on this. Secondly, as for the mechanical growth factor, it was not discovered by Russian scientists.
This substance, which is in the phase of clinical research, is being actively studied, it is included in the list of prohibited drugs as a peptide factor.
The main forms – not commercial, but research – of this substance are polymer-bound, they are stabilized and live in the body for a long time. And there is no problem of identifying this substance. This molecule does not cause any difficulty in detection.
– Please explain what is the difference between the short peptide form of MGF and the full-size one, which is exactly what we are talking about.
– Mechanical growth factor was isolated as a fragment of growth hormone, somatotropin. Scientists from Canada, and later from the UK, isolated a fragment of this molecule, which is responsible for the growth of muscle tissue. But in science there is no clear definition of which fragment, how many amino acids are needed for this. This is all speculation.
– If there is nothing new in this substance, then it has already been used as doping?
– In world practice, there are cases of detection of this substance.
– And if she suddenly appears at the Sochi Olympics, will they be able to identify her?
– Immediately. There is no problem. The technique officially approved by WADA for the detection of such a substance has existed for more than one month and more than one year.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru11.02.2014