Gene Doping

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Henrique De Rose Porto Alegre, Brazil

Summary of the presentation

• Short history of doping in sports;

• Modern definition of doping;

• The future of doping: gene doping;

• Genetically based therapy and span;

• Selection of talents;

• Exemples of gene doping;

• Future possibilities;

• Conclusion.

Why I choose Germany?

1911 – Physiology Laboratory presented in Dresdner;1912 – First Sports Medicine Association founded;1913 – Mallwitz receives the title of Sport Physician;1917 – First Physical Education School founded;1924 – First Sports Medicine Journal;1928 – Foundation of FIMS in Saint Moritz, Switzerland.

Olympic Games

of 1936 in

Berlin, Germany.

Actual definition of doping

• Increases artificially the performance;• It is a risk for the health of the athlete;• It is contrary to the spirit of sports.

When two of the top three criteria are present, we have a case of doping.

Genethically based therapyes are being developed and it will

change soon the epidemiology of the diseases as we know

it.

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500,000BC

40,000BC

10,000BC

1,800 AC 2,500 AC

Life span

The Life Span of Humanity

• The detection of talents is actually done by observation of external anthropometric characteristics and in tests in Laboratories of Human Performance;

• The human genetically map will permit, studying the related phenotypes of a child, to detect a predisposition for a specific activity.

Detection of Talents

The human gene map for performance and health-related

fitness phenotypes: the 2003 update

Rankinen and Bouchard: 2004

The Belgian Blue BullThe Belgian Blue Bull

• The Belgian Blue Bull demonstrates the effect of blocking the antigrowth factor myostatin. A natural genetic mutation in this breed produces a truncated, ineffective form of myostatin, which allows muscle growth to go unchecked. The absence of myostatin also interferes with fat deposition, making these “double-muscled” cattle exceptionally lean.

Myostatin

Mighty Mouse - Lee and McPherron John Hopkins Medical Institution - 1997

Viral gene IGF-1 expression in trained rats Running on treadmill, and climbing with

overweight (Source: Sweeney 2004)

Genetically Engineered "Marathon Mouse" Keeps On

Running By enhancing the function of a single protein,

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have

produced a “marathon mouse” with altered muscle

composition and enough physical endurance to run

twice as far as normal mice.

Genetically Engineered "Marathon Mouse" Keeps On Running

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute,

2004