Aggregated News
LONDON - For athletes, stem cells have much more than the potential to cure disease and save lives - they may be able to heal injuries, boost strength and endurance, and provide a lasting edge over the competition.
If it sounds like stem cells are next frontier for doping in sports, it's because they very well may be.
"There's a spin-off technology from stem cells that could produce super-athletes," said Paul Griffiths, managing director of CryoGenesis International, which stores umbilical cord blood in its bank for potential later therapeutic use.
He believes that injecting stem cells into healthy muscles might increase their size and even restore them to their youthful capacity.
"You could potentially find a 40-year-old man with 20-year-old legs," Griffiths said.
While such applications could be years away, their potential use raises more ethical questions about doping in sports.
Professional sports have grappled with the question this summer after Tour de France winner Floyd Landis and Olympic and world 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin tested positive for banned substances.
Scientists are considering the potential fallout from the new technology...
If it sounds like stem cells are next frontier for doping in sports, it's because they very well may be.
"There's a spin-off technology from stem cells that could produce super-athletes," said Paul Griffiths, managing director of CryoGenesis International, which stores umbilical cord blood in its bank for potential later therapeutic use.
He believes that injecting stem cells into healthy muscles might increase their size and even restore them to their youthful capacity.
"You could potentially find a 40-year-old man with 20-year-old legs," Griffiths said.
While such applications could be years away, their potential use raises more ethical questions about doping in sports.
Professional sports have grappled with the question this summer after Tour de France winner Floyd Landis and Olympic and world 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin tested positive for banned substances.
Scientists are considering the potential fallout from the new technology...