setpoint

Or set point

[set-point]

noun

1. the desired value in a closed-loop feedback system, as in regulation of temperature or pressure.

2. the point at which a thermostat has been set, as for optimum efficiency.

3. Physiology.,  an internal regulatory system for maintaining a relatively stable physiological condition in the face of changing external circumstances, as body temperature in a varying climate.

4. a hypothetical regulator in the body that maintains a relatively stable body weight.

5. the weight range thus theoretically maintained.

Word History and Origins

Origin of setpoint¹

set + point

Example Sentences

The agency in July approved SetPoint Medical’s vagus-nerve stimulation device for rheumatoid arthritis.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As an alternative to current treatments, a new implantable device made by SetPoint Medical was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for people with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who haven’t responded to, or were intolerant of, other treatments.

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The device is based on findings by SetPoint co-founder Dr. Kevin Tracey, who heads the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health in New York.

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In the U.S., medical device company SetPoint Medical is currently running clinical trials using VNS to combat rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition of the joints.

Read more on Scientific American

A company co-founded by Tracey — SetPoint Medical in Valencia, California — is testing pill-sized vagus-nerve stimulators, implanted in the vagus nerve in the neck, in autoimmune diseases including Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Read more on Scientific American