precursor

precursor definition - medical

pre·cur·sor (prĭ-kûrˈsər, prēˈkûrˌsər)

noun
  1. One that precedes and indicates something to come.
  2. One that precedes another; a forerunner or predecessor.
  3. A biochemical substance, such as an intermediate compound in a chain of enzymatic reactions, that gives rise to a more stable or definitive product.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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