contact inhibition

noun

Biology.

1. the cessation of movement, growth, and division in cells that touch each other.

Word History and Origins

Origin of contact inhibition¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

In a 2009 study1, they noted that a process in natural anticancer defences called contact inhibition, which prevents cells from dividing when they reach a certain density, occurs at a much lower cell density in naked mole rats.

Read more on Nature

Cancer starts when mutated cells grow uncontrollably; by increasing contact inhibition, hyaluronic acid, which Gorbunova describes as “basically a gooey sugar,” probably keeps these tumor cells from replicating.

Read more on Washington Post

The mechanism may involve contact inhibition, the tendency of cells to stop dividing when squeezed tightly by other cells.

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The coupling of cells by E-cadherin results in the transmission of antigrowth signals; this is one of the mechanisms for the phenomenon known as contact inhibition, where cells that touch one another do not grow any further.

Read more on Scientific American

This response — called contact inhibition — stops cells from multiplying out of control.

Read more on New York Times