82 varieties of EPOs now listed
New York’s equine drug testing laboratory is struggling to keep up with dopers, according to a report by the Times Union of Albany, N.Y.
The number of samples collected by the New York State Gaming Commission dropped by more than 20 percent since 2015, according to the report.
Dr. George Maylin, who runs the lab, blamed a lack of resources for the problems.
“Another million would help a great deal,” Maylin told the Times Union. "The program was deficient in money for a number of years from 2010 on. ... Right now, we have as much research money in budget as any lab in the U.S.”
The New York lab is able to test for three kinds of EPO, according to the report. That simply is not enough, Maylin said, when 82 varieties are listed in scientific literature.
EPO is a drug that can improve performance in sports and is used illegally by some, including those in horse racing. EPO is short for 'erythropoietin'. EPO stimulates the production of red blood cells in bone marrow and regulates the concentration of red blood cells and haemoglobin in the blood. This is useful for horses and human athletes, since red blood cells shuttle oxygen to the cells, including muscle cells, enabling them to operate more effectively.
Maylin said the lab is working to be able to test for more varieties of EPO, but that process is time consuming.
“(Different varieties are) available," he told the Times Union. "So if you're testing for EPOs and you're only doing three and there are another 70-plus out there, who are you kidding?"
Maylin also said in the report that he was still unfamiliar with some of the compounds in the drugs found in the federal indictments that ensnarled former trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro. Maylin said he had requested samples from the U.S. Department of Justice.
