Will the year of the gene pass China by?

摘要

The Beijing Olympics have long been tipped as the event where athletes might first try modifying their genes to boost performance (New Scientist, 15 January 2000, p 2k). "Gene doping" is attractive because it prompts the body to make hormones that are indistinguishable from the ones we make naturally. That makes cheats harder to spot. So will gene doping make its debut at Beijing?rnScientists have shown it is possible to use gene therapy to boost stamina and strength in animals (see table). And although their ultimate goal is to treat muscle-wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy in humans, these labs have attracted interest from the sporting community. Lee Sweeney of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia says he received 50 calls a week at one point, after his lab reported quadrupling the muscle mass of mice in 2007 by silencing the gene for myostatin.