Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) was originally discovered in crude preparations of nerve growth factor prepared from mouse submaxillary glands as an activity that induced early eyelid opening, incisor eruption, hair growth inhibition, and stunting of growth when injected into newborn mice. EGF is a potent growth factor that stimulates the proliferation of various epidermal and epithelial cells. Additionally, EGF has been shown to inhibit gastric secretion, and to be involved in wound healing. EGF signals through a receptor known as c-erbB, which is a class I tyrosine kinase receptor. This receptor also binds with TGF-alpha and VGF (vaccinia virus growth factor).

Recombinant mouse Epidermal Growth Factor (rmEGF) produced in E. coli is a single non-glycosylated polypeptide chain containing 54 amino acids. A fully biologically active molecule, rmEGF is obtained by proprietary chromatographic techniques at ExCell Bio with a molecular mass of 6.2kDa analyzed by reducing SDS-PAGE.