A “super-sensitive test” reported in 2014 was a laboratory method called paired ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PIESI-MS). It was designed to help detect selected drug metabolites at lower levels than some comparison methods—not to identify every banned substance, and not proof that the method became a routine or regulator-approved anti-doping test.
What is the test?
PIESI-MS is a mass-spectrometry technique for measuring molecules. In the approach, a positively charged ion-pairing reagent joins with a negatively charged analyte. The resulting complex can be detected in positive-ion mode. The 2014 Chemistry World report described two proposed advantages: positive-ion mode can be more sensitive for the compounds studied, and the heavier complex can produce a signal in a region with less background noise.
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The underlying 2014 Analytical Chemistry paper focused on how the ion-pairing reagent’s choice and structure affect detection limits. That mechanism helps explain the method; by itself, it does not establish performance across all drug compounds or testing situations.
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A 2015 study applied high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with PIESI-MS (HPLC-PIESI-MS) to glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of selected performance-enhancing drugs and drugs of abuse. These conjugates are drug metabolites. The researchers reported chromatographic separation of structurally similar steroid conjugates and used off-line solid-phase extraction to prepare human urine samples, addressing the potential effects of other substances in the sample matrix.
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The study describes a method applied to particular analytes and samples, not a universal screen for every banned drug. Its abstract is available through the International Journal of Mass Spectrometry.
How much more sensitive was it?
The published figures describe different studies, analytes and comparisons. They should not be combined into a claim that all doping tests become a thousand times more sensitive.
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| Reported result | What it applies to |
|---|---|
| “Up to a thousand times” | The broad sensitivity description in Chemistry World’s 20 March 2014 report; not a universal result for all substances or test setups. |
| One to three orders of magnitude improvement | The 2015 study’s abstract comparison with other reported negative-ion-mode methods for its tested drug metabolites and analytical approach. |
| 3 to 48 folds improvement | The 2015 study’s more specific sensitivity comparison with negative-ion mode for the metabolites examined. |
| Sub-pg absolute limits of detection | Analytical limits reported for the 2015 method; not a guaranteed limit for every analyte or urine sample. |
| 1.5 to 12 times improved sensitivity | The 2014 Analytical Chemistry paper’s comparison of unsymmetrical with corresponding symmetrical dications for seven selected anions—not a broad drug-testing result. |
For a meaningful comparison, the ionization mode, reagent, analyte, sample preparation and comparator all matter. A low analytical detection limit in a study does not, on its own, show what a laboratory will achieve with every real-world sample.
Does this mean athletes can be caught for longer?
Greater sensitivity can matter because it may allow an instrument to detect smaller amounts of a selected substance or metabolite. In the 2014 report, University of Texas at Arlington researcher Daniel W. Armstrong said, “If the method is more sensitive, you have a longer time window to detect these substances.” That is a potential implication of improved sensitivity, not evidence of a measured detection-window extension for every drug or athlete.
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Is PIESI-MS used in routine anti-doping tests?
The cited material documents a 2014 news report and analytical research published in 2014 and 2015. It supports the technique’s mechanism and historical laboratory results, but does not establish current adoption by anti-doping laboratories, accreditation, or regulatory approval for doping decisions. The sources also do not establish current commercial availability of the method or reagents.
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