TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Gene Doping: The Driving Force of Athletic Success

Dave Greenfield | Date: 03-29-10 | Comments

Gene doping could soon antiquate performance-enhancing drug use among athletes.

In late 2007, the 400-page Mitchell Report revealed rampant performance-enhancing drug use among Major League Baseball teams, with 89 big names named. More than two years later, doping may still be prevalent, but it could be becoming antiquated as gene doping emerges as the next wave in performance enhancing �via unnatural means.�

Gene doping is the �non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to improve athletic performance.� The technology exists for legitimate purposes, such as when gene therapy is used to treat diseases that destroy muscles. There are various genes being looked at in the treatment of illnesses or medical conditions that could also be used to boost athletic performance. PPAR-∂, for instance, targets fat metabolism and is being studied for possible use with obese and/or diabetic patients. Used by athletes, it could boost muscle and metabolism. Mice treated with PPAR-∂ were turned into �marathon mice,� or superathletes. It is not a big leap to imagine the applications in the human body.

Is gene doping being used currently by athletes? No one knows for certain, though it is not far-fetched. In 2006, a German track and field coach tried to buy Repoxygen. This gene helps increase the production of red blood cells, which could be useful in those with anemia, or in athletes who want to boost the oxygen their blood delivers to their muscles, thereby improving performance.

Dr. Theodore Friedman, chair of the gene doping panel for the World Anti-Doping Agency and director of the gene therapy program at the University of California, San Diego, says, �We suspect potential gene dopers are watching gene technology, learning a lot from how it�s done legitimately, and are preparing to use similar techniques in sports.�

The health risks of essentially using athletes as lab rats include higher rates of cancer and possibly fatal consequences. A study of infants with SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency), or �bubble boy� disease, treated with gene therapy revealed that while the treatment helped some tremendously, it caused others to develop leukemia. Would this occur in athletes? It�s very possible. A high price to pay for athletic glory.