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Nelson Erlick, the acclaimed author of GermLine, is Senior Strategist for the Strategic Scientific Services division of a large, international medical communications firm. A retired podiatric surgeon and award-winning researcher, he lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Someday soon:

The use of animal organs in human patients has revolutionized medicine in the 21st century, freeing thousand of patients from dialysis, and sparing them the slow death of waiting for a human organ that may never come. Thanks to the discoveries of Paradigm Transplant Solutions, reliable organs are available to almost anyone who needs one.

Some fear that animal transplants could cause a deadly virus to cross over into the human population, triggering an epidemic of catastrophic proportions. However, PTS uses only cloned animals that have been genetically-engineered to be virus-free, so this danger has been eliminated.

Or has it?

Publishers Weekly

Xenotransplantation-in particular, transplanting tissue or organs from genetically altered pigs to people-is the promising premise of Erlick's near-future medical thriller. When Dr. Scott Merritt audits the records of the Institute for the Research of Animal Compatible Transplantations (IRACT), he discovers that not only have thousands benefited from the transplants but also other recipients have died from a deadly pig retrovirus that poses a devastating threat to the general populace. IRACT, looking to protect its monetary interests, tries to permanently silence Merritt, who's forced on the run. Erlick (Germline) knows his medicine, as shown in the compelling descriptions of the virus's effects and how easily it spreads from one person to another. These scenes are made all the more chilling given today's too real fear of bioterrorism. Unfortunately, the infectious disease scenario gets lost amid all the car chases, kidnappings and torture by evil corporate executives. Agent, Susan Crawford. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.