Transfer Factor
Transfer factors were originally described as immune molecules that are derived from blood or spleen cells that cause antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity, primarily delayed hypersensitivity and the production of lymphokines, as well as binding to the antigens themselves. They have a molecular weight of approximately 5000 Daltons and are composed entirely of amino acids. Transfer factors were discovered by Henry Sherwood Lawrence in 1955. Transfer factor has some promising findings as a target of immune research, but can only be considered an incompletely investigated field that has been essentially lost to history.
A second use of the term transfer factor applies to a likely different entity derived from cow colostrum or chicken egg whites which is marketed as an oral dietary supplement under the same name citing claims of benefit to the immune system.
Read more about Transfer Factor: History, Transfer Factor (immune Molecule) Scientific Claims, Uses, Side Effects, Transfer Factor (dietary Supplement) History and Claims, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words transfer and/or factor:
“No sociologist ... should think himself too good, even in his old age, to make tens of thousands of quite trivial computations in his head and perhaps for months at a time. One cannot with impunity try to transfer this task entirely to mechanical assistants if one wishes to figure something, even though the final result is often small indeed.”
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