Near future
No Result
View All Result
26 September 2023
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Transports
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+
Understand, anticipate, improve the future.
CES2023 / Coronavirus / Russia-Ukraine
Near future
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Transports
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+

Understand, anticipate, improve the future.

No Result
View All Result
Technology

Genetic doping: can athletes who change DNA be discovered?

Genetic doping: a new frontier of unfair sport, still difficult to identify. Today begins the path to make it visible.

January 7 2021
Gianluca RiccioGianluca Riccio
⚪ 3 minutes
Share49Pin12Tweet31SendShare9ShareShare6
genetic doping

READ IN:

Every athlete wants to be at the top in a competition, and prepares hard: some, however, resort to incorrect approaches to increase muscle, speed and agility. Advances in gene editing could cause athletes to change their DNA to gain an advantage.

Now, a research team experienced in Analytical Chemistry shows in an interesting study the first steps towards the detection of this type of genetic doping both in human plasma and in live mice.

Genetic doping: recognize it and flush it out thanks to CRISPR

The method of genetic modification called CRISPR / Cas is a popular way for scientists to precisely change DNA in many organisms. and recently gained even more attention when key developers of the method received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

CRISPR in two words

With this method, the researchers add an RNA molecule and a protein into the cells. The RNA molecule guides the protein to the appropriate DNA sequence, then the protein cuts the DNA, like a pair of scissors, to allow for alterations.

Despite ethical concerns related to the potential application of CRISPR in humans, some athletes may misuse it to alter their genes, in a kind of genetic doping.

Because that's what it is actually about. Real doping.

And precisely because CRISPR / Cas changes DNA, it is considered "genetic doping". And as such it is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, an independent international organization.

The article continues after the related links

Spider silk from modified silkworms: stronger than Kevlar and 100% natural

How CRISPR can feed the planet

But to counter this genetic doping you need to find it: for this Mario Thevis and colleagues wanted to see if they could identify the most likely protein to use in this type of genetic doping. It is the Cas9 protein from the bacterium streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9), and was searched for in human plasma samples and mouse models.

genetic doping
Mario Thevis, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Cologne

Genetic doping: the experiment

The team added the SpCas9 protein into human plasma, then isolated the protein and 'cut it into pieces'. When the pieces were analyzed using mass spectrometry, the researchers found that they could successfully identify unique components of the SpCas9 protein from the complex plasma matrix.

In another experiment, inactivated SpCas9, which can regulate gene expression without altering DNA, was added to human plasma samples. With a slight modification, the method allowed the team to purify and detect the inactive form.

Finally, the team injected SpCas9 into mice and showed that their concentrations peaked in circulating blood after 2 hours and could be detected up to 8 hours after administration in muscle tissue.

The researchers say that although much work still needs to be done, this is a first step towards a test to identify athletes seeking to gain an unfair advantage with genetic doping.

That day, who knows, we could discover some good ones even on some unsuspected ones. Or have confirmation that the dishonest are few.

In any case it will be a good day for sports.

Tags: CRISPRdopingGenetic editing

Latest news

  • Minimum wage: a step forward or a leap in the dark for Italy?
  • Solar cars could halve the need for charging
  • The crazy food of the future: from edible clouds to mussel ceramics
  • NASA, recovered the sample from the asteroid Bennu: why it is important
  • Tesla and the new abilities of Optimus robots: "Ready for mass production"
  • EV, goodbye frequent charging: I-State promises over 1.000 km of autonomy.
  • Revolutionary generator transforms humidity into continuous electrical energy
  • All the maps of the future: from research tools to doors to tomorrow
  • The bizarre AI that translates the language of chickens
  • Jeddah Tower, construction site of the one kilometer high skyscraper reopens


GPT Chat Megaeasy!

Concrete guide for those approaching this artificial intelligence tool, also designed for the school world: many examples of applications, usage indications and ready-to-use instructions for training and interrogating Chat GPT.

To submit articles, disclose the results of a research or scientific discoveries write to the editorial staff

Enter the Telegram channel of Futuroprossimo, click here. Or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon e LinkedIn.

FacebookTwitterInstagramTelegramLinkedInMastodonPinterestTikTok

The daily tomorrow.


Futuroprossimo.it provides news on the future of technology, science and innovation: if there is something that is about to arrive, here it has already arrived. FuturoProssimo is part of the network ForwardTo, studies and skills for future scenarios.

  • Environment
  • Architecture
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Gadgets
  • concepts
  • Design
  • Medicine
  • Spazio
  • Robotica
  • Work
  • Transports
  • Energy
  • Edition Francaise
  • Deutsche Ausgabe
  • Japanese version
  • English Edition
  • Portuguese Edition
  • Read more
  • Spanish edition

Subscribe to our newsletter

  • The Editor
  • Advertising on FP
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Near future - Creative Commons License
This work is distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

No Result
View All Result
Understand, anticipate, improve the future.
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Transports
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+