[/caption]According to the website New Scientist, Lee Sweeney (University of Pennsylvania) has altered and intentionally injected a virus into rats . Sweeney was attempting to create a virus which would transport a gene named IGF-I. The gene is responsible for stimulating growth hormone, which triggers muscle growth. The rats hind leg muscles rapidly grew in size. Some of the rats were put on an intense exercise routine. In very little time the rats that had exercised intensely showed a 15-30% increase in strength. Sweeney also had a group of rats that were injected but did not follow an exercise routine, these rats still showed 15-20% increase in leg strength. The purpose of Sweeney's experiment was to discover a cure for muscular dystrophy. Although the results seem promising, the genetic alterations are not ready to be used on humans. To Sweeney's surprise half of the emails he received in reference to the experiment were from patients, the other half was from athletes. Unlike any other illegal enhancement drug, these injections would not show up in blood or urine. Although athletes may be able to get away with the injections without being caught there could be horrific side effects. Similar gene therapies in Europe for sickly patients have caused cases of leukemia. Sweeney also explains modifying the IGF-I for the sole purpose of athletic enhancement could actually cause muscles to become too big and actually destroy bones. Although this discovery is a big step towards a cure for muscular dystrophy, it is still in the beginning stages and further research needs to carried out. As far as athletic use, in my opinion it is too risky and the risks outweigh the benefits.
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