Biomodding
Biomodding is a process by which the cellular structure of one's body can be artificially altered in order to confer beneficial or preferential effects, or add features. Biomods can range from something as simple as enhancing stamina and reducing the harmful effects of alcohol to boosting muscle mass far beyond natural limitations, changing your appearance to that of a different species entirely, and even adding additional eyes and limbs.
Biomodding can be accomplished via a number of different routes, the most popular of which is gene editing, which uses CRISPR to reprogram the body in order to implement the mod on its own; however, more advanced methods, such as Spatial Cell Control, allow effectively 3D-printing organic matter and manipulating neural pathways in order to grant much more precise control over the final result. Once a biomod is installed, it is usually permanent, unless a biomod that accomplishes the reverse is developed.
Industry
The three main organisations that develop biomods are Clare Biomedical (gene and nanobot-based), TransForm (gene-based), and BioCorp (gene and cell-printing based). TransForm remains the current market leader, and is a non-profit corporation aiming to develop affordable mods accessible to all. TransForm biomods use solely CRISPR technology and require consistent dosages over a lengthy period of time (usually 3-6 months for anthros) in order to achieve desired effects, and the intensity of the effects can be modulated by taking the product for a shorter or longer period of time; they are marketed towards everyone.
Clare Biomedical's products are marketed as a higher-end solution for individuals wishing to spend more on the latest technologies, and combine CRISPR technology with nanobots in order to speed up the rate in which mods take effect to a few days, whilst also providing greater DNA accuracy, making Clare's products marginally more reliable than TransForm's.
BioCorp's mods are marketed as the absolute pinnacle of customisation, utilising proprietary spatial cell control to effectively modify and print any desired tissue, with installation taking only hours. They are the most expensive out of all products, and require an ongoing subscription to proprietary GBT immunoblockers to prevent rejection of the new tissue.
History
Origins
Biomodding technology historically took a convoluted path, first diverging from early public CRISPR systems and eventually resulting in two similar, but different, methods of modification. The first branch was first developed by Nevrin, based on a derivative of early CRISPR systems. After the collapse of Nevrin, the company's research was acquired by Küiser Laboratories, and further developed by their Biological Research division. During this time, BioCorp successfully infiltrated Küiser and managed to steal the technology, but soon after Biological Research broke off from Küiser and became the World Küiser Corporation. The WKC continued to attempt to research the technology in secret to achieve their goals of biological ascendancy with the use of human test subjects, but never achieved more than the creation of physical abominations.
BioCorp, however, was significantly more successful in developing the technology to fruition, and in the early 2020s, it began utilising it to develop effective cures for multiple different types of cancer, as well as life extension drugs, that it sold at exorbitantly high prices. The profits made BioCorp and its executives extremely wealthy, allowing the company to grow significantly throughout that decade.
Accessibility
However, parallel to BioCorp's success, Dr. Laura Ross, a transhumanist and member of the anthro movement, began experimenting with current public, patent-free derivatives of CRISPR. As part of the crowdfunded Anthro Project, she founded TransForm to develop the technology further. By 2030, TransForm managed to develop an open-source alternative to BioCorp's proprietary biomodding technology that was both safer and more affordable, whilst developing competing biomod products that undercut BioCorp.
During the 2030s, BioCorp attempted to acquire TransForm for large sums of money, who turned down their offers, prompting the company to lead a protracted campaign of both legal and personal harassment against TransForm and its employees. Though BioCorp succeeded in tying up much of the leadership in court and bankrupted Ross in legal fees, it was too late, as TransForm had already formed a critical mass. BioCorp instead switched to covert espionage, attempting to reverse-engineer TransForm's products. In 2040, TransForm pioneered trans-species technology with the application of biomodding, completing the Anthro Project.
Competition
The placement of TransForm as market leader forced BioCorp to drastically change its tactics. It began lowering the cost of many of its products to make them affordable to the middle class, as well as marketing its technology as more advanced and capable than TransForm's. It ran several public disinformation campaigns, labelling their technology crude and dangerous, and successfully lobbied for their products to be banned in several countries, returning the monopoly to itself there. Its advertising also specifically targeted wealthy consumers, shaming the prospect of using TransForm technology that was generic and intended for the masses.