An enzyme that breaks down collagen, the protein that gives structure to skin, bones, and connective tissue; used in medicine and research.
From 'collagen' + '-ase' (enzyme-forming suffix), with 'collagen' from French 'colle' (glue) + '-gen' (producing), coined by scientists studying protein structure.
Collagenase is naturally produced by certain bacteria as a weapon to invade tissue, but scientists have harnessed it for burn treatments and digestive diseases—a perfect example of weaponizing nature for medicine.
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