Constructing Winners: The Science and Ethics of Genetically Manipulating Athletes

Gene transfer and genetic manipulation technology offers enormous promise. Gene-based therapy is expected to transform the way we treat and prevent disease, revolutionize the way we view illness and health and may eventually alter the way we perceive the normative human state. If the medical impact of gene transfer technology is likely to be unprecedented, its effect on sport will be just as momentous. As the vast majority of current work on gene transfer technology in humans is in the biomedical research stage or early clinical trials, the precise avenues through which this technology will manifest in the field of optimizing human performance is unknown. Extrapolating from current clinical investigations, imminent applications to sport performance may include muscle growth factors, and oxygen transport enhancers. Following consistent historical patterns, the migration of medical technology from bedside to trackside will likely follow two parallel streams: licit medical treatment of athletes, and illicit performance enhancement, or “gene doping”. Either way, gene transfer technology will inevitably spread to the world of athletics, bringing with it myriad medical, social, ethical, and philosophical challenges. This paper explores some of these issues, with particular attention paid to the concepts of harm and privacy. Central to these discussions is the power of genetics, both from a biomedical and an information perspective. For this reason, the article leads off with a brief synopsis of what is known about the contribution of genetics to determining athletic capacity and how developments in the nascent field of gene ther apy could be applied to enhancing sports performance.