Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
Equus
Banned
I don't know how many people know about this, but scientists have developed the means to insert DNA into living organisms and have it be expressed by the cells. This is done using what are called "plasmids". Plasmids are DNA molecules that are separate from chromosomes. Plasmid Vectors can be taken up by living cells. For example, when I was in high school, there was a lab we did in Biology class, that had us insert a plasmid that encoded for "green fluorescent protein" into bacteria that normally did not glow. After it was taken up (this was a multi day lab, you can google the exact steps), the bacteria glowed green under a black-light.
Anyways instead of using Plasmids that encode for GFP, one can use Plasmids that encode for hormones for use in Gene Therapy, including growth hormones. For example in "The Journal of Gene Medicine" article "Plasmid growth hormone releasing hormone therapy in healthy and laminitis-afflicted horses—evaluation and pilot study":
"The effects of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) on healthy horses and on horses with laminitis that were followed for 6 months after a single intramuscular injection and electroporation of 2.5 mg of an optimized myogenic GHRH-expressing plasmid were examined."
"In the first study on six healthy horses, we observed a significant increase in body mass by day 180 compared to baseline (P < 0.003)"
"Body weights increased in all animals during the 180 days post-treatment to 422.8 ± 19.0 kg from the baseline value of 383.64 ± 14 kg at day 0, P < 0.003. A distinct trend for increase in body mass occurred after 60 days post-treatment, and was significantly elevated from the baseline values by 90 days post-treatment."
That's about 80 pounds whats more if you read the references and citations, you will find that the Plasmid can be constructed so that it is only selectively expressed, say in muscle tissue, and not the rest of the body. This greatly reduces the side effects associated say with growth hormone such as abnormal head/feet/limb enlargement because the extra growth hormone would just go to the muscle.
Anyone see this as the future of bodybuilding? Currently a pig growth hormone plasmid is approved for use in Australia.
Anyways instead of using Plasmids that encode for GFP, one can use Plasmids that encode for hormones for use in Gene Therapy, including growth hormones. For example in "The Journal of Gene Medicine" article "Plasmid growth hormone releasing hormone therapy in healthy and laminitis-afflicted horses—evaluation and pilot study":
"The effects of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) on healthy horses and on horses with laminitis that were followed for 6 months after a single intramuscular injection and electroporation of 2.5 mg of an optimized myogenic GHRH-expressing plasmid were examined."
"In the first study on six healthy horses, we observed a significant increase in body mass by day 180 compared to baseline (P < 0.003)"
"Body weights increased in all animals during the 180 days post-treatment to 422.8 ± 19.0 kg from the baseline value of 383.64 ± 14 kg at day 0, P < 0.003. A distinct trend for increase in body mass occurred after 60 days post-treatment, and was significantly elevated from the baseline values by 90 days post-treatment."
That's about 80 pounds whats more if you read the references and citations, you will find that the Plasmid can be constructed so that it is only selectively expressed, say in muscle tissue, and not the rest of the body. This greatly reduces the side effects associated say with growth hormone such as abnormal head/feet/limb enlargement because the extra growth hormone would just go to the muscle.
Anyone see this as the future of bodybuilding? Currently a pig growth hormone plasmid is approved for use in Australia.
