Definition
Plain language
A small signalling molecule cells release to tell the immune system what to do.
As stated in the literature
Secreted proteins mediating immune and inflammatory signalling; commonly assayed as readouts in biomedical studies.
Also called: cytokines
Why it matters: They give researchers a measurable readout of whether the body is inflamed or fighting something, which is why they show up as evidence in so many biomedical claims.
For example, when a graft starts to be attacked by the body, blood tests often show a spike in these signalling molecules.
Heard on the show
“And then there's Cohen, published in Integrative Cancer Therapies, with cytokines and Western blots and proper controls, supplemented by "biofields.”Episode 240 — Frontier Models Designed Follow-Ups To Fraudulent Papers 93% Of The Time