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Oprelvekin
Pronunciation
Definition 1
A drug used to increase the number of blood cells, especially platelets, in some cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Oprelvekin is a form of interleukin-11 (a cytokine normally made by support cells in the bone marrow) that is made in the laboratory. It is a type of biological response modifier. Also called Neumega, recombinant human interleukin-11, and rhIL-11. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
A recombinant therapeutic agent which is chemically identical to or similar to the endogenous cytokine interleukin 11 (IL-11). Secreted by bone marrow stromal cells and a number of mesenchymal cells, IL-11 binds to and activates its cell-surface receptor, promoting primary and secondary immune responses, modulating antigen-specific antibody reactions, and preventing apoptotic cell death. This agent also stimulates the T-cell-dependent development of IgG-secreting B-cells in spleen cell cultures and may be an important regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis. (NCI Thesaurus)
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