Development and Validation of Methods for Detection of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in Athletes

There is increasing evidence for the association between substance use disorders and mental health disorders in athletes. New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) pose an additional challenge, especially those prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and difficult to detect due to their rapidly evolving chemical structures and limited availability of reference standards. This project aims to develop and validate sensitive analytical methods for detecting selected NPS identified by local institutions in Qatar and investigate their presence in 500 samples destined for discard following routine analysis for known dopants at ADLQ. LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS methods were developed and validated targeting NPS observed in Qatar. Development included optimizing sample preparation protocols (dilute and shoot, solid-phase extraction, liquid-liquid extraction) and mass spectrometric parameters. Validation was conducted following guidelines established by WADA and the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL), assessing selectivity, detection and identification limits, carry-over, recovery, and matrix effects. Retrospective analyses are being performed on previously negative urine samples from consenting athletes. This research will establish validated analytical methods for NPS detection and generate the first comprehensive prevalence data for NPS use among athletes. The study addresses a gap in anti-doping research and supports global understanding of NPS in sport.