Gene therapy works by inserting extra copies of particular genes into the body. These extra copies, known as “transgenes”, may cover for a broken gene or regulate gene activity. Though gene therapy has yet to yield a reliable medical treatment, more than 1,300 clinical trials are now under way. As that number suggests, the field is reckoned to be full of promise.
基因疗法的工作原理在于把特定基因的额外拷贝植入到体内。这些叫做“转基因”的额外拷贝能覆盖损坏的基因或者调节基因活动。虽然基因疗法还没有产生可靠的治疗效果,但是目前仍有超过1300多个的临床试验在进行之中。这个庞大的数字仿佛表明基因疗法的前景一片美好。
As far as sport is concerned, the top transgene on the list, according to Jim Rupert, an anti-doping expert at the University of British Columbia, is the gene for erythropoietin. EPO, as it is known for short, is a hormone that regulates the production of red blood cells. It is already available as a drug (it was one of the first products of biotechnology companies in the late 1980s), and it has been used widely in endurance sports such as long-distance cycling. But if an athlete’s body could be stimulated to make more of it that would—from the athlete’s point of view—be better than taking it in drug form.
来自英属哥伦比亚大学的反兴奋剂专家吉姆•鲁珀特说,就体育运动而言众多基因中最受关注的是红细胞生成素基因。红细胞生成素(简称EPO)是一种调节红细胞生成的荷尔蒙。EPO作为一种药品目前在市场上有售(它是上个世纪80年代后期生物技术公司的第一批产品),有人已经在一些耐力体育项目,诸如越野自行车中使用这种药品。但是从运动员的角度看,如果运动员的身体能通过刺激来生成更多的EPO的话,那么这种刺激的方式比服用做为药品的EPO好。
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2020-09-15
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