Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Bioengineered Endurance Athletes?

There was an article in Scientific American about a year or two ago on 
this work and some others. They believe they can change the muscle types 
either way.  This would produce either super sprinters or super 
endurance type muscles. One approach is to alter the genetic composition 
of the muscles on a one time basis to change the structure of the muscle 
fiblers. The IOC can throw all it's durg testing out the door since 
there is nothing to test for.

A brave new world?

Truman

Lynne Glazer wrote:

> Is the horse of the future a transgenic beast? <g>
>
> Scientists create 'endurance' mouse
>
> May lead to wonder drug for distance athletes
> By Kate Tobin
> CNN Sci-Tech
>
> BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) --Mighty Mouse lives, and the "new age" 
> version is downright buff.
>
> Researchers say they have created a transgenic mouse with muscles like 
> a marathoner, capable of enduring rigorous exercise for extended 
> periods of time.
>
> While so far the research has only been conducted on mice, scientists 
> say they expect the techniques they've developed to treat the mouse 
> muscle will also work on humans. Doctors say the discovery may one day 
> lead to new treatments for people who are bedridden or have 
> degenerative muscle disease, and could prove to be a wonder drug for 
> endurance athletes like long distance runners or cross country skiers.
>
> Bruce Spiegelman and colleagues at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 
> identified a biochemical called PGC-1 that operates as a molecular 
> switch, converting so-called "fast-twitch" muscle, which is strong but 
> tires quickly, into high-endurance "slow-twitch" muscle.
>
> "PGC-1 appears to be the switch, or a major component of it, that 
> enables your body's muscles to adjust to the demands being put on 
> them," said Spiegelman. "Understanding how this system works could 
> make it possible to develop a drug to manipulate this system."
>
> Muscle is made up of a combination of different types of fibers. 
> Endurance athletes train long and hard to build up slow-twitch muscle 
> fibers, called Type I fibers, which are long and lean and can keep 
> pumping for long periods of aerobic exercise. Sprinters or 
> weightlifters, on the other hand, have muscle rich in fast-twitch, 
> Type II fibers. These muscles are bulkier and stronger but tire quickly.
>
> Further studies
>
> To create the endurance mouse, Spiegelman's group bioengineered PGC-1 
> into mouse muscle tissue. They expected that it would promote the 
> development of cellular power plants called mitochondria, which fuel 
> the growth and development of slow-twitch muscle fiber. But they were 
> surprised to find that PGC-1 appeared to be converting Type II 
> fast-twitch fibers into Type I slow-twitch fibers.
>
> The muscle itself actually changed color, taking on a reddish hue 
> characteristic of oxygen-rich tissue. Further, in an endurance test at 
> a Texas laboratory, the bioengineered muscle turned out to contract 
> efficiently two and a half times longer than regular muscle.
>
> Spiegelman cautions that there is still five to 10 years of work to be 
> done before PGC-1 based treatments will be available.
>
> The research is published in this week's edition of the journal Nature.
>
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