pegylation

noun

peg·​y·​la·​tion ˌpeg-ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce pegylation (audio)
variants or PEGylation
: the attachment of polyethylene glycol chains to a molecule
When PEG's are attached to other molecules in a process known as pegylation, the body also ignores the attached molecules, thus providing an invisibility clock to drugs that otherwise would be dismantled by the body's immune defenses or flushed out by the kidneys.Kenneth Chang, The New York Times
pegylated adjective
or PEGylated
In the pegylated form of interferon, the interferon alfa molecule is linked to a polyethylene glycol molecule to ensure sustained interferon concentrations after single weekly injections. Jean-Michel Pawlotsky, The New England Journal of Medicine

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Cite this Entry

“Pegylation.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/pegylation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

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