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Definition of rapamycin in English:

rapamycin

Pronunciation /ˌrapəˈmʌɪsɪn/

noun

Pharmacology

  • A macrolide with antifungal activity produced by the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus, now used chiefly as an immunosuppressant drug.

Origin

1970s; earliest use found in Journal Antibiotics (Tokyo). From rapa (in Rapa Nui, local name of Easter Island, where the streptomycete was obtained) + -mycin.