Gene(ius)

[huw williams]

As I'm sure you're aware a lot of very eminent scientists believe that gene dopping or at least drugs developed from gene dopping research, have already found their way into proffessional sport

Proff Hanson (see below) was on Radio 4 talking about this last night. As in this extract from the Mail (which also appeared in many other sunday papers) he just kept peppering that Lance Armstrong analogy. Does he know something we don't?

MIGHTY MOUSE
It can sprint for six hours without a break, thinks nothing of running the equivalent of a daily marathon and has the stamina of cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Scientists have created Mighty Mouse - a genetically engineered rodent designed to be fitter, stronger and faster than the conventional variety.
The GM mouse can run around four miles a day at a speed of 20 metres per minute on a treadmill without a break.

And while it eats 60 per cent more than other mice, it remains fitter and trimmer, according to a report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Dr Richard Hanson, of Cleveland, Ohio, who helped create several of the animals, said: "They are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees; they utilise mainly fatty acids for energy and produce very little lactic acid.

"They are not eating or drinking and yet they can run for four or five hours. They are 10 times more active than ordinary mice in their home cage. They also live longer - up to three years of age - and are reproductively active for almost three years. In short, they are remarkable animals."

He adds: "On the downside, they eat twice as much as control mice, but they are half the weight, and very aggressive. Why this is the case, we are not sure."

The creatures' genetic make-up was altered so that they produce too much of the enzyme PEPCK-C - a substance which plays a key role in metabolism. This process appears to stimulate the efficient use of body fat for energy production.

The first "Mighty Mouse" was created four years ago, but the results have only now been published.

Researchers now have a breeding colony of 500 such rodents and they themselves are apparently stunned by their abilities. This amazement was all the greater because the animals were created through a standard genetic modification to a single metabolism gene shared with humans.

They have emphasised that the aim of the project was not to prepare the way to enhance the genes of people.

Professor Hanson said: "We humans have exactly the same gene. But this is not something that you'd do to a human. We do not think that this mouse model is an appropriate form for human gene therapy. It is currently not possible to introduce genes into the skeletal muscles of humans and it would not be ethical to even try."

However, the scientists have accepted that it may be possible to use the findings to develop new drugs or treatments that could one day be used to "enhance" the natural abilities of athletes.

It is also thought that their development could improve understanding about the importance of human diet and exercise.