New immunoSEQ bioinformatics software platform helps monitor adaptive immune system

Oct 21 2010

Adaptive TCR Technologies, a biotech firm based in Seattle, WA, announced today the release of its immunoSEQ™ profiling service and immunoSEQ Analyzer™ bioinformatics software platform.  Together, these tools provide researchers and clinicians the ability to profile and monitor the adaptive immune system at a level of detail that has never before been possible.

"ImmunoSEQ represents one of the first specific applications of next-generation sequencing technology," offers Chad Robins, CEO and Founder of Adaptive TCR. "We have delivered the Hubble Telescope as compared to a pair of binoculars to look at the adaptive immune system."

ImmunoSEQ assays use proprietary chemistry to amplify the rearranged CDR3 regions of T-cell receptor (TCR) genes responsible for most TCR diversity.  Each immunoSEQ assay can generate millions of cell-specific sequences, allowing a remarkably deep characterization of the T-cell repertoire in any sample.  To analyze this large amount of data, Adaptive TCR provides access to the immunoSEQ Analyzer, a bioinformatics software platform comprising a suite of tools designed specifically to handle immunoSEQ data.  

"Using DNA sequencing to look at cells of the immune system is particularly powerful," said Dr. Harlan Robins, a computational biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and co- founder of Adaptive TCR. "By bringing together unique amplification chemistries, massively parallel sequencing and powerful, user-friendly software, we are providing access to the adaptive immune system in unbelievable detail."  

In addition to providing information on the basic functioning of the immune system, immunoSEQ data can contribute to the understanding and development of many important medical conditions and applications, including cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune disorders, vaccine development, and infectious disease.  "We know that T cells are involved in autoimmune diseases like Type 1 Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and others," noted Dr. Christopher Carlson, an investigator at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a co-founder of Adaptive TCR.  "Now we can examine what's going on in incredible detail, and hopefully we will find tests based on T-cell repertoires that give physicians prognostic information and treatment guidance."

ImmunoSEQ assays and the immunoSEQ Analyzer are easily available to any researcher.  The researcher or clinician need only provide a DNA sample; the company does all the laboratory work, and uploads the resulting sequence data to a secure web site that is available to the researcher at all times. "The true value to our clients lies in the combination of the assay with a user-friendly, powerful software suite for data analysis, visualization, and interpretation," adds CEO Robins.  

Robins believes that the industry is at the very beginning, "as our technology becomes increasingly powerful, we look forward to witnessing clients using immunoSEQ to answer fundamental questions in the field of adaptive immunity, leading to a better quality of life for people afflicted with dysfunctional immune systems."

SOURCE Adaptive TCR Corporation