A laboratory hailed as the most hi-tech in the history of the Olympics will be at the heart of the fight against drugs at London 2012.

The facility will work around the clock to carry out more tests than at any previous Olympics, with over 6,000 samples expected to be checked during the Games.

Experts will be flown in from across the world to work on more than 6,000 samples, making sure every medalist and more than half of all competitors are tested.

Negative results will be known within 24 hours and positive tests within 48 hours, with the exception of the endurance-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO), which will take 72 hours.

UK Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson promised that cheats would have no place to hide.

He said: “We cannot absolutely guarantee that these will be a drug-free Games, but we can guarantee that we have got the very best system possible to try and catch anybody who even thinks of cheating.”

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has donated and equipped the lab, with testing being led by King’s College London.

GSK chief executive and University of Nottingham alumnus, Sir Andrew Witty, explained: “I’m delighted we’ve put this alliance with King’s College London together to ensure that excellent science can play a key role in ensuring the Games are conducted to the highest ethical standards and that athletes can lead healthier lives.

“The Olympic and Paralympic ideals of people striving to achieve their best are core to those of GSK, as we share those values of excellence.

“There is great alignment in these missions and I look forward to our people making a significant contribution to the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.”

GlaxoSmithKline has also entered into an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to share information on all their drugs, including products under development.

Sir Andrew wants other firms to follow suit: “If we could get that done on a broader basis, it would really close the net on people’s potential to come up with molecules that WADA just weren’t familiar with.”