Adaptive Biotechnologies, a pioneer in combining next-generation sequencing and expert bioinformatics to profile T-cell and B-cell receptors (TCRs and BCRs) of the adaptive immune system, announced a translational collaboration with the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the NIH.

Under this collaboration, the Adaptive immunoSEQ Platform will be used to more broadly incorporate TCR and BCR sequencing into select NCI-sponsored clinical trials. The goal is to apply this Platform to accurately measure and track immune repertoire dynamics that may drive response to different cancer immunotherapies.

In line with NCI efforts to implement novel correlative strategies across select clinical trials and tumor types, expanding the use of immunosequencing by NCI investigators may help better understand and potentially predict response to novel immuno-modulatory agents. Both Adaptive and NCI/CTEP are committed to accelerating the clinical validation and utility of novel immune-based molecular biomarkers from tissue and/or blood of cancer patients to better inform treatment decisions.

“We are delighted to announce our engagement with NCI,” said Chad Robins, chief executive officer and founder at Adaptive Biotechnologies. “It’s our goal to support NCI investigators by enriching their research and expertise in immune correlative data generation with Adaptive’s immunoSEQ Platform, and to help expedite the development of new immune molecular biomarkers that inform the next wave of novel therapies and rational combinations.”