Cowan, co-founder of what is now the United Kingdom’s only World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory, commented: "UK Anti-Doping already has a fairly well developed scheme to incorporate intelligence from various sources and the Drug Control Centre inputs into that scheme wherever possible.

"Further sophistication of that approach will improve the deterrent aspect of anti-doping."

Cowan, who is handing over to Dr Alan Brailsford, claimed he had witnessed huge technological advances in the anti-doping field.

"Technologically we have had the benefit of vast improvements in instrument sensitivity - at least 1,000-fold - but now have to deal with a much wider range of drugs than in the beginning.

"The advances in using biomarkers to provide evidence of the use of pseudo endogenous compounds, ranging from small molecules like testosterone to peptides and proteins such as growth hormone and insulin, has been the most challenging and exciting."

Asked about the most likely area of technological advancement in the next five to 10 years, Cowan responded that it might be the testing of receptors in the human body:

"In my opinion, advances in the use of receptor-based assays to screen for prohibited substances are likely to provide the best way forward," he said. 

"Substances are prohibited according to their mode of action which relates to the receptors in the human body that they affect.

"A receptor-based assay can mimic the receptor in the body and show that an effect is likely and that a confirmatory procedure should be used to identify the substance that caused the effect."

On the subject of what he considered the laboratory’s greatest achievement in his time there, he said: "Catching cheats using human growth hormone, first in 2010 with the first type of assay and two para-Olympians in 2012 with the more sensitive assay.

"Working at the London Olympic Games in 2012 with GlaxoSmithKline, managing a team of 400, was an incredible experience and one I’ll never forget."

Reflecting on how his work had changed over the course of the last four decades, Cowan said: "Originally we had to push everything forward from sample collection - we trained doping control officers - to results management.

"I am pleased to say that now we work in partnership with UKAD, which deals with these aspects, enabling the Drug Control Centre to focus on our expertise, the science."

Asked to name some of the key figures he had worked with globally, he responded:

“There are too many to say but Prince Alexandre de Merode, who was the chairman of the IOC Medical Commission for many years, was an amazing man.

“Richard McLaren, Thomas Bach; Richard Budgett; Richard Pound; and colleagues from WADA accredited laboratories have all been great to work with over the years.”