oncolysate
Meaning of oncolysate: An oncolysate is laboratory material made by breaking open cancer cells, releasing cellular components that can be studied or used to prompt an immune response.
Definition of oncolysate
Oncolysate is the material produced when cancer cells are broken apart in the laboratory, a process called lysis. Rupturing the cells releases their internal contents, including proteins and other molecules that were previously contained within the cell membrane, into a mixture that can be collected and studied.
Researchers have used oncolysates as a source of tumor-associated material in laboratory and experimental work exploring how the immune system recognizes cancer cells, including some approaches to cancer vaccine development. Because an oncolysate contains a broad mixture of cellular components rather than a single purified substance, its exact composition depends on the type of cancer cells used and the method of lysis.
The term is distinct from a tumor sample that has been further purified or fractionated for a specific laboratory or clinical use.
Used in a sentence
The laboratory prepared an oncolysate from the resected tumor sample for use in the research protocol.
Good to know
An oncolysate is a laboratory preparation rather than a treatment on its own, and its use has been mainly in research and experimental settings rather than routine clinical care.
Word origin
Where “oncolysate” comes from
Formed from onco- (Greek onkos, meaning "mass" or "tumor") and lysate, from Greek lysis, meaning "dissolution" or "breaking down."