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Dr Rodrigo Aguilera

Principal Analyst in the Drug Control Centre

Biography

Dr. Rodrigo Aguilera received his doctorate in Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry at the University of Claude Bernard Lyon I, France. He worked for 5 years in Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry - Chemistry and Biology to develop a new application for the detection of anabolic steroids used by professional athletes by measuring the ratio of carbon isotopes by mass spectrometry (IRMS). In 1997 he was employed by the Olympic Analytical Laboratory in the Department of Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was responsible for IRMS steroid analysis at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Winter Paralympics Games Seoul in 2018.

In 2002, he joined the Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics in the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine of UCLA and extended his experience in the field of proteomics for future applications in the field of anti-doping control. In 2003 he helps establish and lead the Proteomics Laboratory at the University of Southern California's Los Angeles Pharmacy Faculty, which is dedicated to cancer research, bio-markers and Metabolomics studies. During the years 2007-2008 he joined Applied Biosystems as Team Leader in Proteomics, Clinical and Toxicology applications. In 2011 Dr. Aguilera joined the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) in Las Vegas, Nevada, as Scientific Director. The following year, in 2012 he held the position of Director of the Doping Control Laboratory of Portugal in Lisbon until January 2014.From February 1, 2014 he held the position of Director of the Doping Control Laboratory in Madrid. January 1st in 2017 to Dec 2020 he was the Manager of human testing at Doha Anti-doping Laboratory. 

Research

Anti-doping urine samples
Anti-doping Science

The Drug Control Centre (DCC) is the only World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in the UK

scientist2 1800 x 500 banner
Drug Control Centre (Anti-Doping)

The Drug Control Centre (DCC) continues to be at the forefront of advances in Anti-Doping science and protecting both the integrity of sport and the health of athletes.

Events

22Seplc-mass spec pic2 1903x558

2nd IRMS Workshop 2023

A WADA endorsed workshop intended to help IRMS analysts, troubleshooting, system suitability and presentation of routine data analysis in different and...

Please note: this event has passed.

Features

From Microdosing to Designer Steroids: Uncovering how athletes cheat in the 21st century

Dr Rodrigo Aguilera, Principal Analyst in the Drug Control Centre, details the methods competitors use to take performance enhancing drugs in the 21st century.

Professional swimming

Research

Anti-doping urine samples
Anti-doping Science

The Drug Control Centre (DCC) is the only World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in the UK

scientist2 1800 x 500 banner
Drug Control Centre (Anti-Doping)

The Drug Control Centre (DCC) continues to be at the forefront of advances in Anti-Doping science and protecting both the integrity of sport and the health of athletes.

Events

22Seplc-mass spec pic2 1903x558

2nd IRMS Workshop 2023

A WADA endorsed workshop intended to help IRMS analysts, troubleshooting, system suitability and presentation of routine data analysis in different and...

Please note: this event has passed.

Features

From Microdosing to Designer Steroids: Uncovering how athletes cheat in the 21st century

Dr Rodrigo Aguilera, Principal Analyst in the Drug Control Centre, details the methods competitors use to take performance enhancing drugs in the 21st century.

Professional swimming