Scientists racing to catch athletes who manipulate genes to boost performance (17 Dec, 2006)

Maria Cheng, Canadian Press

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=dcdfdf6d-3d05-4ccc-8d5b-7d7a42482a59&k=36249

 

Published: Sunday, December 17, 2006

LONDON (AP) – Scientists are racing to develop a test to catch athletes who try to boost their performance by manipulating their own genes.

Though there is no proof that gene doping is already occurring, researchers say they would like to be ready ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Gene doping is an illegal spin-off of gene therapy, which typically alters a person’s DNA to fight diseases like muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.

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Gene Doping Test?

Yesterday, it was announced by Ted Friedmann that a new tool to detect gene doping has been discovered. I haven’t yet seen whose lab has developed this test, but I might be seeing Ted today in New York at the Hastings Center. Perhaps some further light can be shed on this. In the press coverage i’ve seen so far, Ted does mention that there is a long way to go with the test and it has indicated that the test is for ‘foreign DNA’. The question remains as to whether this would reveal all forms of gene doping. On that, the coverage is also less clear. The important quote from my perspective is the following:

 ”It is very early in the development of the technology, and we are encouraged that it is proving possible to find evidence of foreign genes being introduced into a body,” says Friedmann, director of the Center for Molecular Genetics at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. “The problem is not only to develop a test but to validate it to the point where you can take it to an arbitration or court and prove that’s the only explanation for the finding that you made. That’s very difficult, and that’s going to take a lot more work.”