The latest enhancement trend is gene doping. This approach involves injecting the body with a gene that triggers growth in specific tissues such as muscle. Because the muscle increase isn't produced by a foreign substance, but by the body's own genetic instructions, it could be very difficult to detect in a test.
So far, research on gene doping has only occurred in animals. But the results have been astonishing. "You can get enormous growth," says Se-Jin Lee, a Johns Hopkins University molecular biologist who discovered the muscle-building gene pathway a decade ago.
In recent tests, he's found that with just two injections over two weeks, he can increase muscle mass in mice by 60 percent. This effect occurs with no training at all.
He says it wouldn't be difficult to try the approach on humans. "Any small lab out there, even an individual who knows what they're doing, could do this. The technology is relatively straightforward," he says. The estimated cost of such an operation: between $20,000 and $50,000.
For an athlete with the opportunity to earn millions, that is a relatively small amount. And this, many observers say, is the crux of the issue: In the end, the battle between cheaters and testers comes down to money. WADA's research budget is about $6 million a year, probably a good bit less than what the other side spends.
"The bad guys probably have a lot more money to pursue their illicit work than we have to pursue our legitimate work," says Theodore Friedmann, a gene doping expert at the University of California, San Diego. "But it's a noble battle."
Lee emphasizes that he has no plans to use his technique on humans, and thinks that doing so would be "nuts," given that the treatment has never been tested in people for either safety or effectiveness.
But others may be more audacious. Romano and Di Pasquale say they've heard of several elite athletes who have undergone gene doping treatment, and many observers expect the practice to become widespread. "All the fervor over steroids and HGH will be passe by the next Olympics," says Romano. "Gene doping will take over."
WADA agrees. For several years, the agency has been working on tests for gene doping. "Athletes and trainers are all aware of this technology," says Friedmann, who directs the agency's gene therapy research program. "The sporting world is following this at a very high level."
