parabiosis

[ par-uh-bahy-oh-sis, -bee- ]

noun

, Biology.

1. experimental or natural union of two individuals with exchange of blood.
2. Physiology. the temporary loss of conductivity or excitability of a nerve cell.

parabiosis

/ ˌpærəbaɪˈəʊsɪs; ˌpærəbaɪˈɒtɪk /

noun

1. the natural union of two individuals, such as Siamese twins, so that they share a common circulation of the blood
2. a similar union induced for experimental or therapeutic purposes

Derived Forms

• parabiotic, adjective

Other Words From

• par·a·bi·ot·ic [par-, uh, -bahy-, ot, -ik, -bee-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parabiosis¹

First recorded in 1905–10; para- ¹ + -biosis

Word History and Origins

Origin of parabiosis¹

C20: from para- ¹+ Greek biōsis manner of life, from bios life

Example Sentences

Several years ago, scientists studying aging at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used a somewhat Frankensteinian technique known as parabiosis — surgically joining a young mouse and an old mouse so that they share blood — to see what would happen to the heart and skeletal muscle tissue.

From New York Times

It was co-founded in 2018 by Amy Wagers, who was on the Stanford parabiosis revival team and is now a professor of stem-cell and regenerative biology at Harvard University.

From The Guardian

Which approach is likely to best slow or reverse age-related diseases based on parabiosis’s effects?

From The Guardian

Ambrosia’s approach irks many scientists trying to methodically translate the effects of parabiosis into therapies to slow or reverse ageing.

From The Guardian

Studies published in 2013 and 2014 by Wagers’s laboratory and those of the company’s other scientific co-founders, showed that old mice injected with GDF11 reproduced several of the parabiosis findings – with regeneration seen in the heart, skeletal muscle and brain.

From The Guardian