RepoMan
December 9, 2009, 10:32am
1
Well, in a decade or so, anyway.
As published in the journal Science Translational Medicine , researchers at the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) and Ohio State University have proven that blocking myostatin in monkeys will lead to skeletal muscle growth with few or no discernible negative side effects. Myostatin is the protein that helps mammals regulate muscle building, acting as a signal for muscles to stop consuming resources and stop growing. Blocking myostatin leads to enhanced muscle strength and continuous muscle growth. You may remember Liam Hoekstra, the baby apparently born without the myostatin gene, and similarly enabled animals that have absurd strength . Using gene therapy, NCH scientists were able to get follistatin (a myostatin blocker) to promote phenomenal muscle growth in the quadriceps of macaque monkeys. NCH is now working with the FDA to perform the preliminary steps necessary for a human clinical trial. We could see a superman gene therapy available in the next decade.
Did I mention recently that I love the 21st century? BEST. CENTURY. EVER.
WarrenM
December 9, 2009, 10:42am
2
I think if this was desirable, evolution would have factored it in by now. There’s going to be SOME horrible side effect, I’m sure.
Yeah, there is - super strong monkeys
Yes, along with the for more dangerous problem of a resurgence in the popularity of this:
RepoMan
December 9, 2009, 11:15am
5
Shit, bitch, does I gots to do ALL the goddamn work around heah?
My concerns about myostatin have largely focused on potential organ damage, possible unknown dangerous effects on smooth muscle tissue, and ligament/tendon stresses. The NCH work addresses these concerns rather well. Macaques were observed for 15 months after receiving a gene therapy that promoted follistatin (and blocked myostatin) in their quadriceps. There was no observed damage to internal organs, the treatment only seemed to affect skeletal muscle, the reproductive cycles and cells functioned normally, and there was no reported damaged to tendons or ligaments (though this last issue wasn’t expressly pursued by the research).
This crap is looking SWEET.
JoshV
December 9, 2009, 11:23am
6
Just in case anyone was wonderin’, this is how the Tanks in Left 4 Dead are made.
On a more serious note, the sports world will probably implode once this kind of treament becomes common place. Though there are side effects for being huge, its more work on the heart to be carting around 300lbs of muscle.
JoshV:
Just in case anyone was wonderin’, this is how the Tanks in Left 4 Dead are made.
On a more serious note, the sports world will probably implode once this kind of treament becomes common place. Though there are side effects for being huge, its more work on the heart to be carting around 300lbs of muscle.
The heart, being a muscle, could possibly benefit as well. I’m sure there’s a point where the muscle growth becomes dangerous. I mean at some point you could snap your bones or tendons just by flexing.
The article implies it reduces fat production, too.
Taken with care, this shit could be a miracle cure for just about everything.
balut
December 9, 2009, 12:07pm
9
The heart, being a muscle, could possibly benefit as well. I’m sure there’s a point where the muscle growth becomes dangerous. I mean at some point you could snap your bones or tendons just by flexing.
And now the arms race between muscle-boosting gene therapy and bone-strengthening gene therapy begins.
You really, really don’t want an enlarged heart.
Drastic
December 9, 2009, 12:10pm
11
That is exactly why the radical Whos in Whoville are a menace this time of year.
Raife
December 9, 2009, 2:42pm
12
I think I read about this stuff in comic books from the 1970’s. Also, sea monkeys!
MikeJ
December 9, 2009, 3:31pm
13
The most obvious undesirable effect is that the extra muscle tissue consumes more calories. In an evolutionary context, an animal could easily starve from building up muscle that it doesn’t need.
Maybe they misquoted someone and by “you can eat what you want” they really mean “you’ll have to eat everything you can”.
And, the obligatory:
Rimbo
December 9, 2009, 4:29pm
15
TheTrunkDr:
The heart, being a muscle, could possibly benefit as well. I’m sure there’s a point where the muscle growth becomes dangerous. I mean at some point you could snap your bones or tendons just by flexing.
“skeletal” muscle in the article
Skipper
December 9, 2009, 5:28pm
16
I, for one, welcome our new super macaque overlords.
jpinard
December 9, 2009, 11:38pm
17
Weren’t anabolic steroids called safe for decades when first released too?
RSofaer
December 10, 2009, 12:11am
18
This is how we end up at the bottom of the sea, eating the flesh of our former comrades to survive a little longer.
And its about bloody time! Who the hell else am I going to blast to smithereens with this makeshift crossbow?
Miramon
December 10, 2009, 7:20am
20
Actually, I think the real problem is ligaments and other connective tissue, especially around joints.
