An article from netrition.com on Biotest's Myostat.......
The Myostatin Project - Part 2
By Tim Patterson
Note: If you haven't read Part 1 of The Myostatin Project, I suggest you do. Otherwise you'll be missing important background information that leads directly into Part 2.
The Medicine Man's Hydroponic Farm
The location: The Canary Islands... more specifically, a high-tech lab, which is nestled among several species of marine algae growing under strict controls in a hydroponic farm. And heading the lab is our very own Medicine Man, who's not just in charge of harvesting wild algae out of the ocean. No, we have him on a mission that's far more complex and advanced than that.
The research started with natural organisms, of course, but that's where nature stopped and science began to change things rather dramatically. For the last two years, at our request, the Medicine Man has been manipulating growing conditions in order to produce super strains of algae, which contain extremely high concentrations of certain compounds that are very potent and highly active in the body.
The primary focus of the lab has been on next-generation antioxidants for potential drug applications, but the Medicine Man always has his mental radar turned on, looking for one of those accidental breakthroughs I mentioned before. As it happened, one of his lab assistants was analyzing a rare form of marine algae, called Cystoseira canariensis, extracting its component parts, and testing the actions of each fraction.
During an experiment, the assistant discovered a phlorochemical compound that presents a structure which is similar to a known myostatin binder. Realizing the incredible potential of this finding, the research team immediately designed a series of tests to evaluate the myostatin-binding affinity of the compound.
If proven, this discovery would body slam sports science into a speechless stupor, and the data would need to be dead-on accurate. So the researchers thoroughly investigated the scientific literature to make sure all of the analytical methodologies were in line with current technology. The lab then procured the appropriate cell cultures and other materials and began the experiment.
The first step was isolating myostatin through an established method. This was accomplished by flowing a crude muscle homogenate (liquefied muscle in a buffering solution) through various chromatography columns, the final of which contained a known myostatin binder, called heparin sepharose.
If successful, the heparin would isolate myostatin by binding to it and allow the rest of the material to pass by unaffected. The last step of the isolation process is a chemical reaction that causes the bound myostatin to be eluted (released) and collected.
(Note: Heparin is a mucopolysaccharide produced by the body that's responsible for keeping your blood from clotting. It's also used as a medicine to thin the blood. Ingesting heparin in the amounts required to effectively bind myostatin as a performance aid would be deadly.)
To establish if myostatin had actually been isolated, the eluate from the first experiment was analyzed, using Western-blot immuno-electrophoresis, which positively identified the compound as myostatin. In other words, the experiment was a success. We did indeed isolate myostatin by using heparin as a binder.
Next, the entire two-phase process was repeated, except this time the heparin-sepharose column was replaced with a column containing a fraction of our newly discovered compound extracted from Cystoseira. If this last step yielded pure myostatin, it would mean that we actually found an effective way to bind myostatin, using a safe "dietary supplement."
Well, what happened amazed everyone. Our extracted compound actually shows a greater affinity than heparin for binding myostatin! That's incredible! It's stronger and works better.
This is just the beginning, though. We're currently moving on to phase two of our research, which includes a series of studies that will culminate with human-performance trials. But at this point in our research, we're extremely excited. We believe we're on the cusp of something much greater than anyone can fathom.
Effectively, we've taken the governor off genetic limitations to muscle growth, making it possible for the "average" human to become, well, "super-human."
I truly believe that this is one of those rare times when everyone from scientists to athletes is going to be blown away ??? that when all is said and done, bodybuilding and sports in general will be changed in an incredibly positive way, forever.
Regarding the actual active component extracted from cultured Cystoseira, it's a low-molecular weight sulfo-polysaccharide, called CSP-3???. The compound is highly water-soluble with great bioavailability. In other words, we have every belief that CSP-3??? will easily get into the body's bloodstream intact and effectively bind (neutralize) significant amounts of myostatin.
CSP-3???... Can I Get It?
At this point, I'm sure most of you are about ready to blow a fuse with excitement. You want the stuff, now! You're thinking: "When will this happen? Next month? Next year?" When, if ever, will I be able to get my hands on CSP-3????
Determining when to manufacture CSP-3??? has been on my mind for quite some time. I've made a decision, but it wasn't nearly as easy as you might think. Of course, if I would've based my conclusion upon feedback from readers, well, there'd be no question. For every 100 "go for it" responses I received, there were only three that voted to wait for further research. But like I said, it's a little more complicated than that. Here's how I see it:
1) We have proven that we've isolated a highly potent, yet safe, myostatin binder, called CSP-3???.
2) CSP-3??? is orally bioavailable and well tolerated by the body.
3) Muscle-mass gains attained by inhibiting myostatin are much slower and different than with pro-steroids or steroids, which means it'll take additional time to get through more-extensive research to determine exactly what kind of muscle-building results are possible. We know CSP-3??? works, we're just excited to know how big the average user can get, and what the rate of gain is.
4) Inhibiting myostatin won't affect the heart or structures other than skeletal muscle, making it very safe. In fact, it's not only safe, it's healthy. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at Johns Hopkins University, researchers Lee and McPherron found that inhibiting myostatin is potentially an effective way to "prevent or treat obesity and associated conditions, like diabetes."
Just about everyone who has ever heard of myostatin has dreamed of the day when it could be inhibited, so the pressure to release CSP-3??? is tremendous.
We know CSP-3??? is safe and it works, so why not go ahead and manufacture it?
At this point, I believe delaying public access solely to gain more knowledge just wouldn't be the right thing to do. So, I've decided to release the product now, but we have a pretty big problem to overcome:
CSP-3??? is contained in a remarkably rare and temperamental strain of cultured Cystoseira, which makes commercial production impossible without the use of our precisely controlled, hydroponic farm to maintain ideal growing conditions. This means that, until we find a way around the situation, supplies are going to be extremely limited.
This limitation, coupled with the outrageous demand that's already exploding for CSP-3???, will result in a shortage of the material. Remember, we can't just use regular Cystoseira. We have to grow, harvest, and extract a special strain that's specifically cultured to yield super-high concentrations of CSP-3???.
So once you begin taking CSP-3???, you should make sure you have enough to last at least two months before you start. You need to use CSP-3??? a minimum of 60 days to begin seeing the effects, and if you don't have enough on hand, you very well could run out and not be able to get additional supplies for several weeks. We'll do the best we can to maintain adequate inventory levels, but I guarantee, we'll run out from time to time. It's inevitable.
I'm not just telling you this so that we can sell more CSP-3???, either. It's no different than if you were to completely shut off the myostatin gene; it would take at least a couple of months before you'd begin to notice the effects. So unless you're truly committed to sticking with the program and using CSP-3??? for a minimum of two months, don't begin taking it. Don't waste your money or our very limited supply of CSP-3???.
But if you want to completely revolutionize your physique, make no mistake about it, binding and thus inhibiting myostatin is very powerful medicine that produces three incredible effects that nothing else can deliver:
Formation of New Muscle. Instead of causing muscles to grow larger through hypertrophy, you're actually forming brand-new muscle cells that will develop and incorporate into existing, mature muscle. And the longer you take CSP-3??? (inhibit myostatin), the more new muscle mass you'll accumulate. Imagine that, actually accumulating muscle! Also, by increasing the actual number of muscle cells, the rate at which you actually grow will begin to accelerate over time, resulting in bigger and much faster gains!
Permanent Muscle Gains. Most of the time, gaining muscle is at best, three steps forward and two steps backward. This is because you're increasing muscle mass in a hyper-anabolic environment (in the body), which can't be sustained ad infinitum. Newly formed muscle cells, on the other hand, are permanent. This doesn't mean that the resulting muscle mass can't atrophy, but it does mean it can't disappear. It's for keeps!
Automatic Decrease in Body Fat. All of the animal studies show that decreased myostatin levels result in a lot less body fat. In fact, the study I mentioned earlier shows that animals with lower myostatin levels have anywhere from 33-50% less body fat, regardless of diet! Researchers indicate that this may be due to increased insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle that's brought about by low levels of myostatin.
Bottom line, if you neutralize the effects of myostatin long enough, you can literally attain a much more-muscular, and leaner, condition that otherwise wouldn't be possible.
Of course, to maximize results, you have to eat optimally for gaining muscle mass and train hard. I can't stress this point enough. You can't just take a pill ??? any pill or injection, or anything else, for that matter ??? and get the physique you want. You have to work hard at it, be disciplined, and give it time.
And something else many of you are already thinking that should be mentioned is, if you include powerful anabolic compounds, like MAG-10, the entire building process is substantially accelerated. Binding myostatin in a super-anabolic environment is the way to go if you want maximum gains in the shortest amount of time. So, if you can afford it, I recommend that you go through a two-week MAG-10 cycle at least once every six weeks while using CSP-3???.
If you don't want to use MAG-10, still follow the "MAG-10 Plan for Success" guidelines, except decrease total calories by 500 per day during the gaining phase.
MYOSTAT???
Super-Transforming Growth Factor???
Taking the governor off muscle-mass limitations is now possible with Biotest's brand-new supplement, called MYOSTAT??? Super-Transforming Growth Factor???.
Each bottle of MYOSTAT costs contains 40, 500-mg capsules of the special, myostatin-binding sulfo-polysaccharide CSP-3???. And like all Biotest supplements, MYOSTAT has a 100% money-back guarantee, so there's no real risk on your part.
Only start the program if you're committed to sticking with it for a minimum of two months.
We truly live in incredible times. I never thought the day would come so soon when we could actually neutralize the effects of myostatin in humans. Well, it's here ??? big time ??? ready to set you free from the gene that stands between you and your physique dreams.
We believe that MYOSTAT is going to redefine and change the muscle-building world forever! In fact, when it comes to building the ultimate physique, it could very well be one of the most important discoveries ever made. Think about it. Now you can successfully overcome the single biggest limiting factor ??? genetics!
Why wouldn't you want to experience it firsthand?