a hypothetical protein assumed to be the basis of the formation and functioning of body cells and tissues
biogen in American English
(ˈbaiədʒən, -ˌdʒen)
noun
Biochemistry
a hypothetical protein molecule, large and unstable, once assumed to be basic to fundamental biological processes
Word origin
[1895–1900; bio- + -gen]This word is first recorded in the period 1895–1900. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Marxism, backwind, freewheel, hit-and-run, slapstickbio- is a combining form meaning “life” occurring in loanwords from Greek (biography). On this model, bio- is used in the formation of compound words (bioluminescence). Other words that use the affix bio- include: bioconversion, bioenergetics, bioherm, bionic, biosocial; -gen is a combining form meaning “that which produces,” used in the formation of compoundwords. Other words that use the affix -gen include: endogen, hydrogen