Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Español
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

off-target effect

(… TAR-get eh-FEKT)
Describes the effects that can occur when a drug binds to targets (proteins or other molecules in the body) other than those for which the drug was meant to bind. This can lead to unexpected side effects that may be harmful. Learning about the off-target effects of drugs may help in drug development.
Search NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms