MidnightVoice
February 19th, 2004, 4:06:43 PM
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994688
A study showing that gene therapy can make muscles respond much better to exercise has raised the prospect of genetically modified athletes.
"Half of the emails I get are from patients," says Lee Sweeney, at the University of Pennsylvania, and leader of the research. "And the other half are from athletes."
The researchers injected rats with a modified virus that transported a gene to their hind leg muscles. The gene triggered increased production of a growth hormone called IGF-I.
Combined with an intensive exercise regime of ladder climbing, this caused the rats' muscles become 15 to 30 percent stronger than would be expected with exercise alone. Even without exercise, the genetically modified rats' muscles grew by 15 to 20 per cent, Sweeney says.
The research is aimed at developing treatments for diseases such as muscular dystrophy. Such therapies are not yet ready for use in humans and such genetic enhancement is likely to remain beyond the reach of athletes for some time. But the prospect of genetically modified athletes is already alarming drug testers.
A study showing that gene therapy can make muscles respond much better to exercise has raised the prospect of genetically modified athletes.
"Half of the emails I get are from patients," says Lee Sweeney, at the University of Pennsylvania, and leader of the research. "And the other half are from athletes."
The researchers injected rats with a modified virus that transported a gene to their hind leg muscles. The gene triggered increased production of a growth hormone called IGF-I.
Combined with an intensive exercise regime of ladder climbing, this caused the rats' muscles become 15 to 30 percent stronger than would be expected with exercise alone. Even without exercise, the genetically modified rats' muscles grew by 15 to 20 per cent, Sweeney says.
The research is aimed at developing treatments for diseases such as muscular dystrophy. Such therapies are not yet ready for use in humans and such genetic enhancement is likely to remain beyond the reach of athletes for some time. But the prospect of genetically modified athletes is already alarming drug testers.