Interferons (IFNs) are low molecular weight proteins that belong to the class of glycoproteins known as cytokines. Interferons are part of the non-specific immune system and are an important first line of defense against viral infections. Interferon-alpha (IFN-a), also known as leukocyte interferon, represents a group of related but distinct proteins that share over 95% amino acid sequence homology.

Interferon-α2A is a member of the type I interferon family which shares a common cell surface receptor composed of two subunits, a 100 kDa ligand-binding subunit (IFN-alpha R2) and a 125 kDa ligand binding and signal transduction subunit (IFN-alpha R1) that is involved both in ligand binding and signal transduction. IFN-alpha has both anti-viral and immunomodulatory activities on target cells.