Steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport

Since 2014, testosterone doping can be targeted by the Steroidal Module of the Athlete Biological Passport. The steroidal module consists of the longitudinal monitoring of five ratios between urinary concentrations of endogenous anabolic androgenic steroids, measured by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Although this longitudinal approach improved T doping detection capabilities in comparison with the former testosterone/epitestosterone threshold value of 4, it is still subjected to various drawbacks, mainly related to the nature of urinary matrix and the analytical technique employed for the analyses. For these reasons, several research projects are carried out in this context within the recent years to better understand the alterations of the steroidal module and to provide additional markers and novel approaches to improve antidoping performances.