Bigger muscles, faster metabolism, enhanced endurance. You too can have it all with just a few minor changes – to your genes, that is.
Science magazine published an article February 5th concerning the ethics and practices of gene doping in sports, just in time for the opening of the 2010 Olympic Games. Gene doping has become increasingly more prevalent in the past ten years due to advances in gene therapy. In order to combat certain diseases and disorders, researchers have come up with procedures that change a person’s DNA. For example, patients with severe anemia are “infected” with a virus which carries a gene that causes cells to produce more erythropoietin (EPO). This protein, in turn, causes the body to produce more red blood cells which allow for higher oxygen consumption and increases endurance. Many of these procedures, however, are still under investigation and have only been shown to benefit lab animals. In addition, many of these gene therapies have been shown to cause side effects such as leukemia or even death.
Despite the serious risks associated with this relatively novel area of genetics, athletes and coaches alike are turning to gene doping to achieve fame and fortune. The International Olympic Committee banned gene doping in 2003 when it was little more than a scientific pipedream. In 2007, however, a German track coach was prosecuted after trying to obtain Reproxygen, a drug used to boost red blood cell production. During the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, a Chinese doctor was offering stem cell injections to boost performance. His scheme was uncovered by an undercover journalist posing as a swim coach.
Gene doping has one very enticing quality over other performance-enhancers such as steroids or drugs – it is undetectable. So far no tests have been developed to check for gene doping, since it requires a whole overview of an athlete’s system before and after it begins expressing new genetic characteristics. It is impossible to tell which athletes have good genes simply because they inherited them, and which have obtained them illegally through these dangerous practices.
With the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics tomorrow, it will be interesting to see if gene doping continues to become more of an issue. Most likely this trend will continue until either a test is found that can trace illegal gene doping or an athlete falls victim to serious side effects. Whether you are for or against gene therapy, there is much work to be done before it is a safe and reliable solution to medical disorders.
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