Insulin-like growth factor: the sci-fi future of bodybuilding?

IGF or 'Insulin-like growth factor' (IGF-1) is a naturally occurring muscle-mass promoter. It is often speculated that serious bodybuilders inject this directly into their muscles to improve mass and size. The only problem is that it works locally and quickly wears off.









A wired article reports: "Enter biotech, which can not only synthesize the protein from scratch but also package it in the form of engineered viruses that insert IGF-1 genes directly into muscle cells, allowing them to produce their own growth factor indefinitely."

Genetically engineered viruses delivering hormones directly into your muscles? Sounds like the beginning of the bionic female bodybuilder. And all this time you've been relying on protein shakes....