You searched for: “interferon
interferon
1. A protein produced by cells in response to virus infection that inhibits viral replication.
2. A naturally occurring substance that interferes with the ability of viruses to reproduce.

Interferon also boosts the immune system.

There are a number of different interferons. They fall into three main classes: alpha, beta, and gamma.

All are proteins (lymphokines) normally produced by the body in response to infection. The interferons have been synthesized using recombinant DNA technology.

3. Etymology: coined from English interfere + -on, a chemical suffix for "particle"; in 1957, by co-discoverers, Scots virologist, Alick Isaacs and Swiss microbiologist, Jean Lindenmann, at the National Institute for Medical Research in London.

The term, interferon, came into use because the protein, or substance, "interferes" with the reduplication of viruses or virus reproduction.

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