Swiss scientists created the 'super strong mice' by tweaking a gene and found without it the rodents' muscles bulked up and they had more energy
A ‘mighty mouse’ with double the normal muscle strength has been created by scientists looking for ways to treat age-related diseases.
It not only has bigger muscles but, in tests, could run for twice as long on the treadmill.
Swiss scientists created the ‘super strong marathon mice’ by tweaking a gene and found without it the rodents’ muscles bulked up and they had more energy.
If the effects could be replicated in humans, they believe it could lead to therapies against muscle-wasting in the elderly which can lead to falls and broken bones, as well as incurable diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
However, there are also ethical concerns that such therapies could be used to give athletes an unfair advantage.
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne found that a tiny inhibitor – called NCoR1 – may be responsible for how strong and powerful our muscles are.
Scientists would then work on developing a drug which could produce a similar effect.
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