Definition of "thrombin" [throm•bin]

• A protease in blood that facilitates blood clotting by converting fibrinogen to fibrin. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In its natural state, the aptamer binds with an enzyme called thrombin, which regulates blood clotting."
• "The newer drug works on one protein in the coagulation cascade called thrombin - "which is right at the blood clot, the one right at the end of this process," Sharma says."
• "Scientists have known that a protein called thrombin plays an important role in clot formation as a potent activator of platelets."