Application of high-throughput IEF-PAGE for EPO-doping testing

Since its first publication in 2000, the isoelectric focusing (IEF) method of erythropoietin (EPO) used in doping control has been considered a procedure with relatively small sample number capacity. To overcome this limitation, a variation of the current protocol was evaluated, which uses double-sized gels with 48-120 wells plus three electrodes and hence multiplies the capacity of the electrophoretic chamber. With this modification up to 120 samples and standards can be run on a single gel - thus, making IEF-PAGE of EPO a high-throughput method. The protocol is ideally suited for large-scale screening purposes.