T cell receptor sequencing in vaccine research

Our complex acquired immune system is able to recognize invading pathogens with both specificity and memory. Antibodies are soluble proteins with extreme diversity that kind bind to foreign antigens.  Similarly, T cells express hypervariable proteins. The within-person repertoire complexity on the order of 10 million T cell receptor (TCRs) per person. T cells are required for high quality antibody responses and have other direct and indirect antimicrobial properties. T cells also modulate diseases such as autoimmunity, allergy, and cancer. The genetic complexity of TCRs are now accessible via nucleic acid sequencing. In this lecture, I will
*review basic TCR biology
*discuss specimen types and TCR sequencing technologies
*briefly review FDA-approved or pipeline indications for TCR sequencing tests
*discuss examples from my research and that of others in which TCR sequencing is used to track vaccine responses and uncover basic principles of disease pathogenesis

David Koelle, MD
Professor, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
Joint Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology
University of Washington
Affiliate Investigator, Fred Hutch Cancer Center and Benaroya Research Institute

03/29/23

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