'More Brutal Than The BALCO Scandal' POSTED: 8:31 am PST February 2, 2006
BERLIN -- The trial of a German track coach accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to athletes has included evidence indicating gene doping already might be taking place in sports. E-mails seized in the investigation of Thomas Springstein contain references to Repoxygen, a substance normally used in gene therapy. Gene doping, which is banned in sports, involves transferring genes directly into human cells to blend into an athlete's own DNA in order to enhance muscle growth and increase strength or endurance. Until now, most experts have said they didn't believe gene doping was yet in practice, but suggested it could be a threat by the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Springstein, who has worked with some of Germany's top runners, is on trial in the eastern city of Magdeburg on charges including the alleged doping of young athletes in 2003. The trial took an unexpected twist this week when the court was read e-mails found when police raided Springstein's home in search of evidence. In one e-mail, Springstein complained that the "new Repoxygen is hard to get. Please give me new instructions soon so that I can order the product before Christmas." Repoxygen is designed for gene therapy on patients with anemia. It can boost an athlete's performance by inducing the release of erythropoietin, or EPO, a substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells to carry more oxygen to the muscles. The International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency already test for synthetic EPO. But there is no known test for Repoxygen, which gives the body the gene to stimulate EPO production on its own. Werner Franke, a German scientist who has documented doping cases in the former East Germany, said Springstein's e-mail exchanges about Repoxygen and other substances suggest criminal activity. "This is about arranged bodily harm. This is worse than in the GDR and more brutal than the BALCO scandal," Franke said in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Springstein has worked with athletes including former East German track stars Grit Breuer and Katrin Krabbe. The two were banned from competition for using the steroid clenbuterol in 1992. Copyright 2006 by KTVU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
