"The hope is that one will be able to identify signatures of changes, much like signs of cancer," Friedmann notes. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is developing a similar pilot program called Project Believe that will administer rigorous blood and urine tests to a dozen volunteer athletes to build a set of baseline profiles.

The fact is that if athletes are abusing gene therapy now and getting away with it, they're probably not getting much out of it. Gene therapies, Sweeney says, are not particularly effective yet because no one has found a way to get the foreign genes safely past the body's discerning immune system. In other words, it destroys the genes before they can do their job; in some cases, the body's reaction to them goes haywire and sickens, or even kills, patients.

But if Sweeney has anything to say about it, scientists will soon overcome these hurdles, so to speak. "And the minute that somebody actually can provide gene therapy with a half a chance of working, there'll be a line at the door," he says.

3 Comments

1. 1. somoyoumbi 02:39 AM 9/18/08

   I think this article is very intriguing particularly on the point how to reversed age- related muscle. Although many athelectics have found gene doping "as a manna from heaven" to nourish their tricky behavior on important sports events, I do believe in the contrary that the application of doping gene in the medical field for cure purpose should be wise and beneficial to humankind.

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2. 2. Manths 03:24 AM 7/19/10

   Hello Sir,
   I am 20 Years Old(Male),I am From Gujarat and
   I am suffering from "FacioScapuloHumeral Muscular Dystrophy(FSHD)"..
   I just want to know that is it possible to cure this (FSHD)disease by using H. Lee Sweeney's Gene Droping Treatment..??
   Please send me reply as soon as possible....
   
   My Mail id is - " mgpatel4614@gmail.com "
   & My Contact No is - 09726352700.
   Please give me Response. I will be very Thankfull to you..
   
   Thank You Very Much...
   Have a nice day....

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3. 3. BipinDesai 09:24 PM 8/7/12

   Under the circumstances, "What is the fun in such 'games'.. I hate to call "it" a 'Game'...

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