interleukin-2

in·ter·leu·kin-2 | \ ˌin-tər-ˈlü-kən-ˈtü

How to pronounce interleukin-2 (audio)

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Definition of interleukin-2

: an interleukin produced by antigen-stimulated helper T cells in the presence of interleukin-1 that induces proliferation of immune cells (such as T cells and B cells) and is used experimentally especially in treating certain cancers

Examples of interleukin-2 in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Paris, David Klatzmann, an immunologist at Sorbonne University, is experimenting with treating autoimmune disorders with low levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), an immune-signaling molecule first used to treat cancer in the mid-1980s. — Karen Weintraub, Scientific American, "Could Immunotherapy Treat Diseases Besides Cancer?," 30 Sep. 2019 Synthorx has developed a partly artificial version of interleukin-2, a natural compound with anti-cancer activity. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Biotech Notebook: Treasure from cellular trash; science gets artsy at Symphony at Salk," 26 July 2019 Researchers studying the immune system discovered the molecules interferon and interleukin-2; each was initially hailed as a promising treatment based on their dramatic effects in shrinking tumors in rodents. — Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, "The Body Strikes Back," 21 Mar. 2019 Eventually, the company produced a partly synthetic DNA code that modified interleukin-2 and similar molecules to eliminate the immune-suppressing effects, Shawver said. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "La Jolla biotech raises $63 million to make cancer drugs from artificial DNA," 30 Apr. 2018 One of these proteins, called interleukin-2, has been studied for decades as an immune-stimulating cancer therapy. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "La Jolla biotech raises $63 million to make cancer drugs from artificial DNA," 30 Apr. 2018 She was also given interleukin-2, a substance that stimulates killer T-cells. — Denise Grady, New York Times, "1 Patient, 7 Tumors and 100 Billion Cells Equal 1 Striking Recovery," 7 Dec. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interleukin-2.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for interleukin-2

The first known use of interleukin-2 was in 1979

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