Gene researchers ponder enhancement for athletes

Gene researchers ponder enhancement for athletes(2002) Boston Globe, by R. Mishra

Reports on a semianr of the American Society of Gene Therapy concened about the possibility for work to be applied to sporting contests. Gary Wadler from NYU commentates on the cultural values underpinning this inevitable consequence of successful gene transfer technology and there is some recognition that the debate relies upon discerning what is an acceptable level of risk. One of the questions raised in this article is the possible application to the military and to the police force.

What is interesting about this proposal is the way in which genetic enhancement can be characterised as qualitatively different from, say, drug-induced enhancements. Indeed, the relative justifications for why genetically enhanced soldiers would be worthwhile, as opposed to the trivial context of sport remains unquestioned