Create mouse 'great athlete'

Swiss scientists have just created a mouse with muscles twice as powerful as normal mice by taking one of its genes.

Scientists from the Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology in Lausane, Switzerland, have collaborated with Lausane University and the Salk Institute in California, United States to create a product. Very interesting experimental products. It was a mouse, named 'Great Mouse Mouse' (Mighty Mouse) as the name of the mouse character in the episodic animation, on the outside, it looked like the mice that were often at all but stronger. It is faster and can run twice as long as a fellow without any weary oil.

To create these super mice , they reduced the function of their natural inhibitory gene - called the NCoR1 gene - that they thought was responsible for regulating the stamina of the mice . muscle.

According to the authors in the Cell Journal, when in an animal without this gene, its muscle tissue will develop in a much more effective way. Similar results are observed in the worms.

From the results of the research, scientists suggest that if done on humans, they can use this technique to treat patients with age-related or genetic hereditary degeneration.

Researcher Johan Auwerx said: "We believe that this technique can be applied to the treatment of muscle weakness of the elderly that make them stand unsteady, often fall, limbs weak, have to practice and things. In addition, we think the method can also be the basis for implementing genetic treatment for muscular dystrophy.

But scientists also warn that: Certainly, their research results are also attractive to sportsmen. It can make athletes apply as a doping thing, increasing the strength of muscles so it can be applied to enhance the athletic achievements that the current test facilities are impotent.

'The important thing for anti-doping committees in competitions is that athletes are not allowed to intervene in the genes illegally to create dishonest records , ' Awerx added.