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In his genre-defining 1984 sci-fi novel “Neuromancer,” William Gibson envisioned a future filled with “joeboys,” or “nearly identical young men,” whose arms and shoulders were “bulging with grafted muscle.”
In the cyberpunk trilogy’s universe, the grafts were a prominent type of biological body modification among corporate bodyguards to increase strength and appear more intimidating.
While the intention isn’t to get swole without ever hitting the gym, scientists in China say they’ve effectively turned the concept into a reality. As the South China Morning Post reports, the researchers developed a “self-exercising” muscle graft designed to be injected under the skin. They say it could give bedridden patients a fitness boost without ever getting out of bed. These “myografts” could also be a game changer for those suffering from conditions that result in muscle atrophy and other age-related conditions.
If the current frenzy over black market unapproved GLP-1s is any indication, though, we could easily imagine certain gym bros jumping at the opportunity to inject themselves with the muscles grafts. (As Gibson once quipped, “the street finds its own uses for things.”)
As detailed in a new paper published today in the journal Nature Aging, the researchers describe how these myografts — the result of subcutaneous injections of modified muscle cells — led to “mature, vascularized structures that self-contract continuously in mice.”
“Myografts improve whole-body muscle mass and function, and metabolic and regenerative outcomes in aging and obese mouse models,” the researchers wrote.
While we’re likely still years away from human trials, the scientists described their preclinical study involving mice as a “noteworthy step in this direction.”
The grafts could provide those with extremely limited mobility a way to take a major shortcut.
“In a sense, we’re distilling the best part of exercise out… and avoiding all the negative effects of exercise, whether it’s the stress on the heart or the stress on your joints,” Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology professor and principal investigator Ng Shyh-Chang told the SCMP.
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