INTERVIEW--‘Gene doping is a strong possibility’

Dr Theodore Friedmann, director of gene therapy programme at the University of California, San Diego, is one of the world’s foremost experts in gene genetic research. Friedmann also chairs World Anti-Doping Agency’s panel on gene doping. Sports Today’s Sabin Iqbal speaks to him on the threat of ‘super-athletes’.


How “good” will be a genetically-altered super-athlete?
There’s no way to know. In many sports, the advantage that an athlete needs to have may be very small - just a fraction of a second greater speed, just a very small increase in endurance, etc. can make all the difference needed victory and defeat.

What are the possibilities for an above-average athlete to be a super-athlete?
In principle, very small differences can produce great improvement in performance.

How risky, at the moment, is the process?
Not known. Gene transfer is in its earliest stages of development and we know even in therapeutic applications that there are adverse consequences, even deaths. The technologies are not yet fully understood and therefore should for now be used only for therapy, not enhancement.

What are the detection methods and where do we stand in researches?
These methods are being developed in research programs. They are intended to find molecular and cellular evidence for the presence and action of foreign genes. Very good progress is being made in this direction, and many new genetic detection methods are becoming available.

Can an athlete alter his/her gene for a specific sport?
The kind of change being imagined depends on the goals - increased strength, increased endurance, etc. Some genetic changes could increase muscle strength and more rapid repair of injury required in some sports (genes such as muscle growth factors), other genes could provide increased endurance (genes like erythropoietin). It all depends on what kind of function is important in a sport and what one is trying to improve.

If gene doping is a reality, how far are we from it?
It’s not a reality but probably a strong possibility. It would be possible to try some badly designed, poorly controlled, dangerous and unethical things even today. We know that sport does not always wait for technology to be proven effective and safe before trying something new.