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Athletes undergo Quest biomarker tests

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg reported in August that it plans to use Madison, NJ-based Quest Diagnostics’ blood testing service to look for associations between biomarkers and biomechanics, training, recovery, and other variables relevant to sports injury risk in some of its athletes.

Blood samples from players on the university’s men’s football and women’s soccer team will be tested with Blueprint for Athletes, Quest’s suite of laboratory blood tests that gives amateur and professional athletes data to help improve performance and lower injury risk.

Currently, participating players are being tested throughout the 2016-2017 competitive seasons for biomarkers such as vitamin D, creatine kinase, and glucose; players, coaches, and ath­letic staff are using this feedback to adjust nutrition and other aspects of training.

Quest and Virginia Tech plan to expand the collaboration to look at associations between biomarkers and biomechanics, as well as gender-specific responses to training and injury recovery, under the direction of Robin Queen, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics and director of the Kevin P. Granata Biomechanics Lab at Virginia Tech.

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