epidermal growth factor

noun

: a polypeptide hormone that stimulates cell proliferation

Examples of epidermal growth factor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
So a good example is a subtype of lung cancer, which is driven by a mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. quantamagazine.org, 15 Oct. 2024 Seen in over 60% of NSCLC cases, KRAS, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and ERBB2 are the most common genes involved. Mark Gurarie, Health, 26 Sep. 2024 In 2023, one particular growth factor took center stage: epidermal growth factor (EGF). Photographed By Kristine Romano., refinery29.com, 6 Feb. 2024 Air pollution may also lead to genetic changes such that Asian patients have some of the highest rates of the cancer-causing epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, which leads healthy cells to divide uncontrollably and grow into tumors. Simar Bajaj, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024 Similarly, ReVive founder Gregory Brown, MD, says that in his position as a plastic surgeon, wound repair was consistently slow, but human peptides—synthetic epidermal growth factor, specifically—would help to speed up the process. Ali Finney, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2024 This group includes triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) patients. Jon Hu, Forbes, 4 May 2023 In one experiment, the team was able to make the nanosyringes with altered tail fibers stick to an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that sits on the surface of some human cancer cells. Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 29 Mar. 2023 One successful collaboration between the U.S. and China cited by Li as an example is in treating EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutations that are present in about 20% of lung cancers yet disproportionately strike Asian women who don’t even smoke. Russell Flannery, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of epidermal growth factor was in 1966

Dictionary Entries Near epidermal growth factor

Cite this Entry

“Epidermal growth factor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epidermal%20growth%20factor. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

epidermal growth factor

noun
: a polypeptide hormone that stimulates cell proliferation especially of epithelial cells by binding to receptor proteins on the cell surface
abbreviation EGF

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