Bio-Tech: Xenotransplants

Xenotransplants

Like medical xenotransplants, these use tissue from animals, either from a live animal or engineered from cell animal cultures. If xenotransplants are common, some facilities may have these transplants "in stock," so no growth time would be required.

Cat's Eye Transplant (TL9)

It's cheaper and snazzier than a cybernetic eye, although it does look a bit obvious, especially in dim light when it glitters. 'Course, it can't be upgraded.

– Streethawk, alt.bio.upgrade.samurai

Operation: $5,000 per eye (six weeks to grow, eight weeks recovery). Only a week of bed rest is needed, but the user will be blind in the transplanted eye until the full time has elapsed. LC4.

Statistics: Night Vision 1-3 [1-3]. A set of feline eye transplants may count as a Distinctive or Unnatural Feature [-1]. There is a -2 to Vision rolls unless both eyes are modified.

Xenostriker Grafts (TL9)

My kid sister runs with the Unicorns, a gang of biopunks and genehackers down at the Cloisters. Vicious in a rumble, but real twisted – who else would be crazy enough to clone up narwhal fetuses and transplant the tusk buds into their foreheads?

– Streethawk, alt.bio.upgrade.samurai

Operation: Costs $5,000 × (TL-8), where "TL" is the minimum TL required for gengineering the same advantage (six weeks to grow, three weeks recovery). LC3.

Statistics: Select any natural weapon except a bioelectric organ from the Transgenic Natural Weapons section of the Cosmetic and Minor Transgenic Modifications table. To make any obvious trait (e.g., talons) retractable, add the Switchable enhancement (+10%). Otherwise, they may count as -1 or -2 point Distinctive or Unnatural Features if exotic biomods are uncommon. Before the operation, the claws, talons, horn buds, or tooth buds must be acquired.

Tail Grafts (TL10)

I'm always excited by Lee Pong's creations, but this time he's outdone himself: The Novabody fall collection is stunning in its simplicity, and getting transrock diva Lyla Feng to model was a stroke of genius! Isn't her new tail just darling?

– Noriko Hayakawa, host of Cyberia Beat

Operation: This costs $25,000 × (TL-8), where "TL" is the minimum TL required for gengineering that type of tail. Thus, a prehensile tail (TL10) would cost $50,000. All tails take three weeks to grow before the transplant. Recovery time is four weeks for prehensile or scorpion tails, two weeks for ordinary tails. Tails are LC4, except for scorpion tails, which are LC3.

Statistics: Any of the tail types described under Gengineered Tails can be vat-grown and then transplanted. If biomods of this sort are unusual, a tail may also qualify as Distinctive Features or Unnatural Features.

Winged Retromorphosis (TL10)

Replaces arms with a functional pair of biogenetically grown feathered or batlike wings, and grafts additional muscles into the shoulders to power them. The wing bones arch well above the head to allow normal walking. The wings are not powerful enough to fly with under normal Earth gravity, but can be used in low-G environments.

Operation: $30,000 (eight weeks to grow, four weeks recovery). LC2.

Statistics: Flight (Requires Low Gravity, 0.5 G, -25%; Winged, -25%) [20]. See Accessibility for the low gravity limitation. 20 points. The wings are assumed to have handlike manipulators by default; if they are more clumsy add No Fine Manipulators [-30].

Tentacle Transplant (TL11)

Okay, it's a gene-altered transplant. What I want to know is, what kind of thing did they transplant it from? I mean, does that black clinic have a basement with some sort of stunted octopoid/human hybrid floating in a growth tank?

– Streethawk, alt.bio.upgrade.samurai

Hai. Some of our customers have unique tastes.

– Mara Omokage, alt.bio.upgrade.samurai

Operation: $50,000 per arm replaced by a tentacle (six weeks to grow, eight weeks recovery). LC3.

Statistics: Tentacles can replace one or both arms. This is Extra-Flexible [5] per arm.

Medical Xenotransplants

These involve grafting nonhuman tissue into a human body. This tissue may come from an animal or be vat-grown. One difficulty is that the immune response to non-human tissue is different than that to foreign human tissue. Different drugs are needed to suppress immune responses, and the risk is slightly increased. The goal is to replace a dying human organ with that of an animal anatomically and genetically close to humanity, such as a baboon.

Organ xenotransplants were begun experimentally in 1964 but first became reliable with heart valves transplanted from pigs and cows in 1975. Whole organ xenotransplants have not yet been successful, but the technology should mature by TL9. By TL10, genetic engineering can produce animals with tissues designed to produce minimal immune response in humans, reducing risks of rejection.

Medical xenotransplants are used for two reasons: First, they serve as a substitute for human organs that may be in short supply. Second, if the patient's organs are failing due to an infectious disease, the disease is less likely to cross species and reinfect the new organ than if human tissue were used. In such cases, a xenotransplant may repair damage and also cure the disease (allows a HT roll, at a penalty depending on the disease). The downside is the animal tissue may be susceptible to diseases of its own ("What do you mean I can catch distemper from my cat now?").

Xenotransplants can be used to replace damaged or failing organs at 75% of the price of an ordinary therapeutic organ transplant and with no waiting period.