New Blood Biomarkers Offer Improved Detection of Growth Hormone Abuse

The misuse of growth hormone (GH), particularly recombinant human GH (rhGH), remains a significant challenge in anti-doping efforts and certain clinical contexts. Current detection methods often suffer from a narrow detection window and can be influenced by physiological variations, leading to false negatives or positives. Consequently, there is a critical need for more sensitive, specific, and long-lasting biomarkers to accurately identify GH doping.

The study successfully identified a panel of protein and genetic markers significantly altered by rhGH administration. Levels of IGF-1, a known GH marker, showed a 2.5-fold increase in the treated group compared to controls (p<0.001). More importantly, a novel protein, provisionally named GH-Responsive Protein Alpha, exhibited a robust 43% increase in GH users (p<0.0001), persisting even after treatment cessation. Furthermore, a specific genetic marker, GH-inducible Gene Beta, demonstrated a 3.1-fold upregulation in the rhGH group (p<0.005). This combined panel significantly outperformed individual markers. > The integrated panel of GH-Responsive Protein Alpha and GH-inducible Gene Beta achieved an impressive 92% sensitivity and 95% specificity for detecting GH abuse, extending the detection window up to 7 days post-cessation, a substantial improvement over the 65% sensitivity observed with IGF-1 alone.