AOD-9604 Does Not Interfere with Anti-Doping hGH Tests

Human growth hormone (hGH) is a potent anabolic agent often abused in sports for its muscle-building and fat-reducing properties, leading to its prohibition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Detecting exogenous (externally administered) hGH is critical for maintaining fair play, and WADA employs a sophisticated hGH isoform immunoassay to differentiate between endogenous (naturally produced) and exogenous hGH. However, the emergence of modified peptides like AOD-9604, a synthetic fragment of hGH, raises concerns about potential interference with these established anti-doping tests. This study specifically addresses whether AOD-9604 could confound or mask the detection of hGH using the WADA-approved immunoassay.

The study conclusively demonstrated that AOD-9604 had no significant impact on the performance of the WADA hGH isoform immunoassay. Specifically, the presence of AOD-9604 did not lead to any false positive results for hGH, nor did it interfere with the accurate detection of authentic hGH when present. The immunoassay maintained its expected sensitivity and specificity, indicating that AOD-9604 does not cross-react with the antibodies used in the assay. This means that the assay's ability to distinguish between endogenous and exogenous hGH remained uncompromised, even in the presence of potentially high concentrations of AOD-9604. The results from mass spectrometry further supported that AOD-9604 was present as expected without affecting the immunoassay's output. The WADA hGH isoform immunoassay showed no detectable influence from AOD-9604, confirming its robustness against this specific peptide.