interferon: Meaning and Definition of

in•ter•fer•on

Pronunciation: (in"tur-fēr'on), [key]
— n.
  1. any of various proteins, produced by virus-infected cells, that inhibit reproduction of the invading virus and induce resistance to further infection.
  2. Also calledan interferon produced by genetically engineered bacteria and harvested for use against hairy cell leukemia.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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