Target
Target (medicine)
Target (pronounced: tar-get) in the context of medicine, refers to a specific location or structure in the body that is the focus of a medical intervention or study. The term is often used in relation to drug therapy, where a drug's target is the cell or molecule it is designed to affect.
Etymology
The term target comes from the Old English word 'targe', which referred to a light shield. In the medical context, it has been used since the late 20th century to refer to the specific focus of a treatment or study.
Related Terms
- Drug Target: A molecule in the body, usually a protein, that is intrinsically associated with a particular disease process and that could be addressed by a drug to produce a desired therapeutic effect.
- Target Therapy: A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells.
- Target Cell: The cell that bears receptors for a hormone, drug, or other signaling molecule, or is the focus of contact by a virus, phagocyte, nerve fiber, etc.
- Target Organ: An organ that is affected by a particular disease or targeted by a particular drug.
- Target Lesion: A specific area of abnormal tissue, such as a tumor, that is identified as the focus of treatment or study.
- Target Population: The group of individuals for whom a particular medical intervention or study is designed.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Target
- Wikipedia's article - Target
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