Harlow GSK site to become London 2012 anti-doping lab

SCIENTISTS at the Harlow base of a leading pharmaceuticals firm will be tasked with catching out drug cheats at next year’s London Olympics, the Star can reveal.

GlaxoSmithKline’s sprawling research and development centre in Pinnacles will be transformed into the event’s anti-doping hub, where teams from King's College London will work around the clock to ensure athletes are competing fairly.

The company's own research and development staff may also be seconded to work on the mammoth project, which will see up to 6,000 drug tests carried out over the course of the Games.

Pauline Williams, of GlaxoSmithKline UK R&D, said the firm was “immensely proud” to be providing the anti-doping facilities for London 2012.

“As a British company, we are immensely proud to be making a material contribution to London 2012 by providing a state-of-the-art laboratory at our Harlow R&D facilities,” she said.

“At GSK we run world-class research and development facilities across the world.

“This gives us the expertise to work with King’s College London to deliver a 24-hour laboratory with the capacity to carry out over 6,000 tests, more than any previous Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Every single competitor who makes it to the podium in will be tested, along with thousands more athletes selected at random from those participating in both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Professor David Cowan, Director of the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London – the only UK lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Authority – will be leading the 150-strong team of scientists.

He added: “These world-class facilities will enable us to carry out more tests than ever before. 

“Our ultimate goal is to deter athletes from cheating and to help protect both the health of athletes and the integrity of the Games.”

Harlow Council leader Andrew Johnson said he was "proud" that Harlow would be playing an important part in the running of the Games.

“I am very proud that Harlow will be playing its part in ensuring athletes are competing fairly in the world’s biggest sporting competition," he said.

"GSK have some of the best research and development facilities in the world and this will once again help recognise that Harlow is ahead of the field in terms of advanced medical and technological industries.”